Borderlands - The Brother
by GenErick64
Summary: I decided to try to write this story because I found creative spark I thought I had lost a long time ago and because of a very inspirational mood-reading Siren ;D The story takes place after Borderlands 2 game and characterizes what I think should happen next. The character of The Brother is basically me with his past as an exaggeration of my own. Please comment.
1. Prologue - The Origin

**Prologue: The Origin**

In the beginning there was one, a single supreme being. Different civilizations call him different names. He created seven angels, his children, and told them they could create their own worlds and life. The only restrictions were: they can't give the power of creation to any life they make, and they can't use their creations to destroy their siblings' creations. The oldest angel began on her creation; she started off with a solar system and a planet of which she called Pandora. This is where she would start creating life. Her first life forms were the primitive creatures that lay as fossils today. After they went extinct, she decided to experiment with intelligent life. She created six siren daughters and gave them their own unique power. The physical mark of their power was a blue design that covered the left side of their bodies and glowed upon using their power. Next, she made a son to watch over and be the guardian of his six sisters. He was the most powerful of the seven siblings and had a similar mark as his sisters except that it was the color of his skin and only glowed while using his power. The seven siblings loved their mother and the planet she created for them. Over the next few millennia, The Mother created a whole galaxy as well as an entire race of which she called Eridians. The Eridians were a peaceful race that coexisted with each other even as they split into tribes. When they discovered the purple glowing element they came to call Eridium, this element was only found on Pandora, its potential to release great amounts of power drove the Eridians to harness it. It wasn't long before The Brother discovered he could absorb the energy from Eridium and increase his power. This caused him to become power hungry; anyone who stood between him and Eridium paid the ultimate price. Through his increase in power, he eventually learned how to create life. When The Mother learned of this, she asked her son to rescind the power he gained from Eridium or be destroyed. He refused, saying that the only reason he didn't kill her was for lack of power. She couldn't destroy her son because she lacked a physical body. She did the only thing she could do. After disowning him and giving him the title of The Corrupted, she created another son and tasked him with stopping his brother. Each brother began recruiting tribes of Eridians who had started producing weapons. The Corrupted even went so far as to ask his sisters to join him, the five that refused him barely escaped with their lives. At this failure, The Corrupted decided to take matters into his own hands. He used his power of creation to make monsters such as: The Warrior, The Destroyer, and Seraph Guardians to name a few. War had erupted. On one side was The Corrupted, one of the Siren daughters, and their legions of monsters and Eridian Warriors who sought only to destroy The Mother and take over her creation. On the other side was The Brother, 5 of his sisters, and a legion of Eridian warriors. The war raged on for millennia, ending only when the Brother had imprisoned his corrupted sibling and his monsters in vaults around the galaxy. The Mother feared her new son would eventually go down the same path as his older sibling, so she implanted The Brother's spirit into a mortal being and forcing it to go dormant, waking only on the absorption of Eridium. She then removed all Eridium from Pandora and restricted it from growing unless the first vault had been opened. For her daughters, she also made them mortal; the spirit at the death of the first vessel would then attach to a newborn and lie dormant until the child reaches adolescence. As a result of the war, the Eridian race was nearly extinct and eventually fell victim to human expansion.


	2. Ch 1 - Itchy Trigger Fingers

Lilith was standing on the balcony of the Crimson Raiders HQ. It was an uncommonly cool day. Sanctuary had been grounded for the addition of a shield generator as well as repairs to the buildings that were ripped in half during Sanctuary's first take off. As she leaned on the railing, she couldn't help but think about the vaults. The two questions she was pondering were: Why are there so many vaults? and Do all of them have monsters inside? Her concentration was broken when a voice said "Hey." The startled Siren turned around and saw it was Mordecai. "Hey", she replied.

"Wachu thinking about?" Mordecai inquired.

"Well, Sanctuary will be finished in a couple weeks and then we're leaving for the other vaults."

"Yeah, so?"

"I'm really concerned at how long it's going to take to open all the vaults, more importantly, how many more lives it will cost us." Lilith fought back tears at the memory of Roland.

"C'mon Lil, you never wanted to die of old age anyway." Mordecai joked.

Lilith shot him a sharp glare. "That's not the point-" Lilith was interrupted by a loud screech. Her short, fiery red hair whipped back as she looked up and saw the large bird. It was Junior, Bloodwing's only offspring. Junior was only a few weeks old yet he was already fully grown. In his talons was a dead skag pup that he dropped on the balcony and began to eat.

"Ugh! He's not going to eat that, is he?" Lilith said in disgust.

"Boys will be boys" Mordecai replied.

"Hey Lil, I think Junior has the right idea, you want to head to Moxxi's place and get a pizza?"

"No, I'm going to check up on Montayva and hit the sack."

"Alright, suit yourself." Mordecai said as Lilith ascended the stairs to the third floor bunk rooms. Mordecai passed Maya on her way back to the HQ as he walked to Moxxi's Bar, he was greeted with a "Hey Sugar, bottle of booze?"

"Yeah," he replied, "and add a pizza."

He sat in a booth with Brick and Axton. Mordecai was the first to speak as he took a swig of ale. "So, you guys ready for tomorrow's mission?" Brick was the first to speak; he slammed his fist into his palm. "Hell yeah!" Axton soon followed with, "Yeah, my trigger finger's been itching to use my new E-Tech Assault Rifle on real targets, I'm getting tired of Marcus' firing range." After he finished a slice of pizza, Mordecai said, "We're definitely undermanned and outgunned for this one, it's only us plus Lilith and Maya. Montayva is laid up with the flu, Salvador went back home to care for his Abuela, and Zer0 dissappeared to god knows where."

"I don't care," Brick interjected, I've been looking for a real challenge ever since we killed that jackass." He was referring to Handsome Jack.


	3. Ch 2 - Too Much to Handle

The next morning, everyone was up at the same time, checking their gear and stocking up ammunition. Lilith, who had taken over most of the leadership responsibilities of the Crimson Raiders, called the crew into the central control room. The control room had two banks of computers, one on each side of the room, and a central table with a holomap. The room was absent of furniture except for a beat up couch that seemed to have lost its cushions a long time ago. Everyone was gathered around the table except for Brick who was lounging on the couch.

"Alright, does everybody know what we are doing?" Lilith asked the group. Everyone nodded.

"We want to avoid combat if at all possible." She reminded them as she pulled a map of the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve.

"We have time; let's go over the plan again. This is where I will phase Mordecai." She pointed to a mountain near the fast travel station.

"You will provide over watch as well as sniper support if this thing goes south. Maya, Axton, you will sneak through the docks, past the skag pens, and across the grassy plain where you will come to the animal holding cell facility. Once inside, you will need to extract the prisoner and I will phase in with Brick and we'll all phase out."

Brick cut in, "Too easy."

"That's a best case scenario." Lilith replied, "Remember, these guys aren't just any Hyperion Bandits, they are _extremely dangerous_. They have six years of slag experimentation _perfected_ and are mutated into who knows what. That is why we should avoid conflict."

It was late in the day with the sun low in the sky when the group arrived at the preserve. Once Mordecai was in position, Maya and Axton began their infiltration. When they reached the docks, nobody was there they immediately became suspicious. "C'mon" Axton whispered. When they reached the skag pen, they woke a pack while trying to sneak past. They both ran, passing the checkpoint and into the grassy plain. Their commotion attracted the attention of more skags as well as stalkers who decided to join the fun. Maya was the first to the door of the holding cell facility, she found it was locked. "Ax," she yelled, "cover me while I hack the lock."

"Dammit!" Axton complained. He took out his Saber Turret and deployed it near the door with the shield surrounding Maya. He then began unloading on the animal pack, his E-Tech Rifle melting holes through the animals' flesh while his turret went full blast. At the sound of the shooting, all hell broke loose. Mutated Hyperion Engineers seemed to come out of nowhere and join the fight.

Axton screamed into his Echo. "Lilith get your ass down here NOW! There's too many goddamn scabs for me to handle!"

Suddenly, an explosion sent a few scabs flying and out of its violet haze, Lilith and the hulking form of Brick emerged. They both joined in with Lilith spraying her Hellfire SMG, and Brick throwing a grenade every time he reloaded his dual Tediore shotguns.

"Got it!" Maya yelled, and went inside to find the prisoner.

"Get 'em Brutus!" ordered one of the less mutated engineers. This 20 foot tall beast emerged from under the waterfall. He had the stature of a man but his skeleton looked overgrown as if it was trying to burst out of his skin. His skin was hardened and worn like leather. The tips of each of his bony fingers had a claw, jagged and razor sharp.

"Maya! Hurry the hell up!" Axton screamed.

"I'm coming, she's heavy."

"Brick go help her!"

The monster then let out an earth shaking roar and charged.

"Shit, we gotta get outta here now!"

BANG! The monster stumbled and fell to the ground with a dull thud. A bullet wound through his temple.

"Nice shot Mordy." Lilith sighed.

"Wasn't me" He replied, "I'm out of ammo."


	4. Ch 3 - Doomed Savior

"Well then who—"Lilith froze.

She saw their savior standing atop the dome of the Natural Selection Annex. He was holding a large sniper rifle that Lilith didn't recognize. The stranger was wearing Dahl Commando combat armor with a few pieces of black Lancer Elite armor. He was also wearing a Crimson Lance helmet. He looked as if he had seen his share of combat. Both of the Sirens below immediately felt a connection between them and the stranger, but they didn't know why. As the rest of the group spied him, he saluted as if telling them to go on. Suddenly, in one fluid motion, the stranger quickly shouldered his rifle. BANG! He had shot a skag pup that almost took a bite out of Axton. Immediately afterwards, Mordecai shouted over the Echo, "Sniper! Get down!" There was a pop and a jet of crimson sprayed out of the stranger's chest. He fell to his knees, toppled over, slid down the dome, and splashed into the river below. "NOOO!" Lilith cried as she ran towards the river trying to catch the body. She missed, the current was too swift. She slowly walked back to the group when Maya told her, "We need to get the prisoner to Sanctuary." Lilith complied and phased the three of them into Dr. Zed's clinic. The clinic had been sterilized following a death threat from Lilith after she got a bullet removed and the wound infected almost three weeks ago. "Stay with the girl" Lilith said to Maya as she exited the clinic. Lilith started towards the HQ but quickly changed course when she spotted Mordecai exiting Pierce Station. She approached him with a volcanic rage and a pace to match.

"You motherfucker!" she roared, "Someone saves our lives and you repay him with a bullet!?"

Before Mordecai could say anything in his defense, he caught Lilith's fist with his face. She recoiled and hit him again, this time breaking his nose. Lilith then knocked the wind out of him with a blow to the solar plexus and sent him to the ground with a knee to the crotch. Axton waited for Lilith to leave for fear of the Siren's wrath, he then approached Mordecai as she stormed off. He helped the defeated hunter to his feet and took him to the men's bunk on the third floor of the HQ. As the commando lowered Mordecai into his bed, he asked, "What the hell was that for?"

"That guy I shot," he said through labored breathing, "I thought he was shooting at you guys."

"Alright, well you get some rest. I'll try to calm Lily down without getting my head blown off."

Lilith was in the girl's bunk sitting in a chair on the balcony facing towards the city. The cool breeze played with her fiery hair as she peered into the night. Axton was about to enter when Montayva, who seemed to be feeling better, stopped him short.

"Now is not the best time." she said quietly, "I overheard what he said and I will talk to her when I feel it is the right time."

That was all Axton needed. For all he cared, he was glad he didn't have to deal with a pissed off Siren. Axton then proceeded down the stairs and left the HQ. When he got to Zed's Clinic, he opened the door and saw Maya. The blue-haired Siren looked at him with a somber expression. "She's dead, she could have actually had useful information on what the Bloodshots are up to. I found an Echo, I'll take it to Tannis and see if there is anything useful on it."

When Maya had left, Axton was left alone in the clinic. He stepped closer to the girl lying on the table, this was the first time he was able to see her clearly. She was middle aged, no more than 40 Axton guessed, and her dark brown hair was cut as short as his own hair but was spiked up. She was naked except for two strips of fabric that covered her breasts and below the waist. Other than the stitched up incisions from Zed's "autopsy", Axton saw numerous scars throughout her pale body as well as the unmistakable brand of the Bloodshot Bandit Clan on the inside of her left forearm. Before Axton could take in any more detail, Montayva came over the Echo. "Get to Pierce Station, an unauthorized user has come through the Fast Travel. Maya and Lilith are already on their way." Axton bolted out of the door and took off at full sprint towards the station. He met the Sirens at the door as he drew his rifle.

Lilith counted, "One…Two…Three!"

Axton was the first inside, followed by Maya and Lilith.

"Oh my god!" Lilith exclaimed.


	5. Ch 4 - Saving the Savior

Lying on the ground in front of the Fast Travel Station was the same sniper who had saved their lives just hours earlier. Maya ran to him first and pushed her fingers under his helmet to his neck. "He's got a pulse. It's weak though."

"Let's get him to Zed's" Lilith said as she approached and took one of the stranger's arms and looping it across her shoulders. Axton followed, taking the other arm to ease Lilith's load. Maya ran ahead to the clinic.

"We have someone that has been shot and he's lost a lot of blood." The Siren explained.

The doctor sighed, "I'll get a blood bag and my needle."

As Dr. Zed entered his medical supply room, Lilith and Axton stumbled in and carefully laid the stranger on the empty operating table. Maya and Lilith proceeded to rip his shirt off while Axton worked to get the helmet off. Once Axton had succeeded in taking the helmet off, they all were taken back at how young he was.

"Outta my way." Dr. Zed growled as he exited the supply closet.

Both the Commando and Sirens stepped back. Zed set his stitching kit on a small table and pulled out a pair of scissors to finish cutting the shirt off and exposing the deathly pale skin. He then pulled out a needle and a length of thread and began to sew. When the doctor was finished stitching the bullet holes on both sides and wrapping bandages around the patient's midsection, Zed hung the blood bag from a stand and inserted an IV into the patient's right arm. Montayva entered with Mordecai directly behind. At the sight of the hunter, Lilith stormed out. Mordecai then stepped closer to the table.

"He…he's just a kid." The hunter said in disbelief. He then exited the clinic.

"Why don't you go with him, make sure he doesn't drink too much." Montayva told Axton and he followed.

"Alright kids you head on out, his recovery will take a while." Zed yawned.

Montayva sensed the doctor's fatigue and offered, "Why don't you get some sleep, I'll stay here and watch him."

"If you say so," he replied, "my place is next door if you need me."

Montayva then turned to Maya. "Can you get some blankets? I'll try to find something to sit on." Both Sirens exited the clinic. Maya headed for the HQ while Montayva turned right and headed for Scooter's Garage. Scooter was sitting in one of his runners working on the steering console. At the sight of Montayva approaching, Scooter exclaimed, "Oh shoot, now whoever you saw standin' above your bed last night wasn't me. It was…it was Earl. Yeah that's it, Earl! Go get him!"

"Calm down Scooter," the Siren calmed him down, "I just want a chair."

"Oh, ok." He sighed in relief. "There are some over in the back corner, most of them are broke as hell but if you find one it's yours."

Montayva found a sturdy chair and started towards the clinic. Maya was already back by the time Montayva arrived. Together, they draped a thick wool blanket over the patient. "Need anything?" Maya asked as she opened the door to leave. "No, I'm good. Thank you." Montayva replied as she sat down and wrapped the second blanket around herself. When Maya closed the door behind her, Montayva closed her eyes and went to sleep.


	6. Ch 5 - Welcome to Sanctuary

Montayva woke with a start. She looked over at the stranger lying on the table. The blood bag was empty and the color had returned to his skin. She then picked up the smell of ozone. She knew that ozone was created through high voltage electric discharge like thunderstorms so she opened the door and looked outside. It was still dark, early in the morning and she could see many stars in the cloudless sky. She moved her gaze to the ground, it was bone dry, Pandora was still in its drought. 'Then why do I smell ozone if there hasn't been any lightning?' she thought to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the stranger waking up.

"What the…hell? Where am I?"

Montayva quickly rushed to his side. She peered into his bright, electric blue eyes that almost seemed to glow.

"Are you an angel come to take me away, or am I still alive?" he asked.

She opened her mouth to answer but was quickly interrupted.

"Don't answer," he coughed, "I can feel pain and I know I'm alive."

Montayva reached over and removed the IV. Immediately afterwards he opened the blanket and sat upright on the table, wincing in pain as he did so.

"Whoa, take it easy." She said with concern.

"I just want to sit up." He protested.

After a long silence, Montayva finally broke the silence.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Erick." He replied as he scratched his stubble-covered chin.

"What's yours?"

"Montayva"

"Mon- uh how do you pronounce that?"

"Mon-tay like 'day'-va."

"Mon-tay-va, okay. Where am I?"

"You're at Sanctuary."

"You mean the Crimson Raiders' Sanctuary?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I've been looking for this place for about a month and all it took to find it was getting shot."

"You fast traveled here." She looked puzzled.

"I hacked in and followed the last users to their destination."

There was a short pause. Erick ran his fingers through his short, greasy hair and asked. "Is there anywhere I can get a shower and maybe a place to stay?"

"Yeah, follow me."

Erick acquiesced and followed the Siren outside as he draped the blanket over his shoulders. The sun had just peeked over the horizon and Erick felt the warmth of it on his bare skin. Montayva led him into the HQ, passing Tannis who was viciously scratching down notes. They went up to the third floor. The door to the girls' bunk was shut but next door the guys' door was wide open. Their snores sounded like a pack of rabid skags. "This is the wash room." Montayva pointed to a door at the end of the hall. "The hot water is on the right and I'll be in shortly with a towel and fresh bandages."

"Thank you." Erick replied.

Erick entered the room and shut the door. He removed the bandages from his body and inspected the stitching on his chest. His bullet wound barely missed his heart and exited just below his sternum. "Damn." He then proceeded to strip and step into the shower. As the hot water cascaded down his body he felt himself relax for the first time since he had set foot on Pandora. The door squeaked open and Montayva's voice rang out. "I left the towel and the bandages on the bench. Your belongings are also in the guys' bunk room."

"Thank you Montayva." He called out.


	7. Ch 6 - The Brother

Erick finished his shower and walked into the men's bunk. It was empty of its inhabitants. Next door he could hear the girls having a conversation; he only guessed it was about him. He saw his rifle propped up against the wall in the back corner next to a bed that was holding his helmet and backpack. He took the helmet and set it on top of the locker next to his bed. He then opened his pack and took out some clothes. He wore dark blue jeans and a belt with a square silver buckle. Erick grabbed the roll of gauze when there was a knock at the door. He opened the door and saw Montayva with one other woman. He let them in and they introduced themselves. Lilith was the first to speak.

"I'm glad you are alive, I never had the chance to thank you."

"I knew that three sisters could easily take that beast down, I just didn't have the time to wait so I put one through his temple."

"What? Sisters?" Maya had just walked in.

"Yeah, the six Siren sisters-" He began but Montayva interrupted. "Wait, start at the beginning because I know you are starting in the middle."

"Fine, take a seat it's a long story." Erick told the trio as he wrapped the gauze around his chest and pulled on a light grey shirt. He sat sown on his bed and started. "In the beginning there was The Mother, our mother. She created this planet, the solar system, and all the stars and planets in this galaxy. She created seven children: six Siren daughters and their brother guardian. Then came the now extinct race called Eridians who discovered Eridium and used it as a power source. When The Brother learned that he could increase his own power with Eridium he became power hungry and corrupted, slaying anyone who stood between him and more power. The Mother disowned her corrupted son and created another to destroy him. In a war that drove the Eridian race to extinction and destroyed many planets, The Brother locked his corrupted sibling in a vault. The Mother, heartbroken at the desolation and fearful that her youngest son would also become corrupted, forced The Brother's power to become dormant. His power could only awaken on the absorption of Eridium."

The three Sirens were silent, it seemed to Erick that all this information was a little overwhelming to them.

"It all makes sense now." Maya said. "The Vaults, Eridium, and at times I have even felt a deeper connection between the three of us."

"You said the corrupted brother was locked in a vault." Lilith inquired. "But what about the hundreds of other vaults?"

"Prisons for the monsters he created." Erick replied.

"How do you know all of this?" Lilith asked suspiciously.

"I know, because I am The Brother."

Lilith and Maya quickly looked over at Montayva.

"He's telling the truth." She told them. "I also don't feel any malevolence in him."

"What was that?" Erick asked.

"My power allows me to read people's emotions, it actually makes for great lie detection." She said proudly.

"I feel sorry for your boyfriend."

"He doesn't mind it anymore."

"That's good. So, where is the skinny guy?"


	8. Ch 7 - Out Cold

"Who" Lilith asked.

"You know, the only guy who can't shoot to save anyone's life." Erick replied.

"If you are talking about Mordecai, he is at the bar on the other side of the city."

"If you need me, I'll be there."

Erick then exited the HQ and walked slowly to conserve his energy, he began to feel dizzy from his blood loss. When Erick got to the bar he immediately found the hunter, alone on a barstool with a drink in one hand and staring at a bullet on the bar. As Erick sat on a stool beside Mordecai, Moxxi spotted him.

"Never seen you around here." She said flirtaciously.

"I just got here last night." He replied.

"Well then, first drink is on the house." She purred.

"Maybe later"

"Well when you do want it, I'd be willing to show you the good stuff in the back store room." Moxxi winked.

She then turned her attention to another customer.

"Back from the dead huh?"

The sound of Mordecai's voice startled Erick. He turned towards the hunter who was still staring at the bullet.

"Yeah, I'm just lucky you can't shoot worth a shit."

The both chuckled and Mordecai took a pull from his bottle.

"Seriously though, how are you holding up? I was only awake long enough to see the dismal look on your face as you left."

"I saw how young you were and I felt myself sinking into an all too familiar hole. I would rather put a bullet in my head than live with the fact that I killed a kid."

Erick reached over and took the rifle cartridge.

"You won't need this because last time I checked, I am alive and well."

"I guess you are."

"When you are done drinking, come down to the HQ, I have a present for you."

Erick stood up and began to leave but something was wrong. His legs gave out but he caught himself on the bar. Mordecai jumped up to help him. His vision started to go black and he felt the rest of his body collapse. Out cold.


	9. Ch 8 - Know Thy Enemy

Erick awoke in darkness; he was lying on his back on a soft surface. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness he saw he was in the girls' bunk room for some reason. Erick looked across the way at another bed and saw a lump under a blanket. All he could see of its inhabitant, was a tuft of Lilith's red hair poking out from under the heavy fabric. The next bed had an unfamiliar face in it, she looked to be 18 or 19 years old and was also a redhead like Lilith, only hers was more orange in color. Erick's thoughts were interrupted by the call of nature. He got out of bed and began to stand, but as he did so he was jerked down by a tug on his right arm. They had shackled him down, he assumed, out of lack of trust, which he understood completely. But he needed to go now. In the bed to his right was Maya, he reached over with his left hand and gave a couple firm taps on what he hoped was her arm. The startled Siren gave a blind swing that drove Erick back and aimed her Corrosive Teapot Repeater at him.

Erick raised his hand. "Woah, take it easy, I just want to be unlocked to use the restroom."

"Sorry," Maya lowered her weapon, "let me get the key."

"Who decided to chain me up?" He questioned, flexing his hands as the drowsy siren released him from his bonds.

"It was all of us actually; Monty was the only one to protest. We put you in with us because it is more comfortable than Zed's and we can take better care of you." Maya explained.

"Alright, thank you." Erick rubbed his wrist and walked out of the room.

The next morning, the Vault hunters met in the control room. Tannis had finally deciphered the Echo recorder. Erick glanced around the room, but didn't see the young orange haired girl he saw last night, he figured she left early. Tannis called them all to attention.

"Alright guys, the play button is right here and I'm going back to my lab to teach advanced physics to Ferdinand the mouse."

Lilith activated the Echo recorder. It gave a few seconds of static before playing.

"Recorded message begins."

[Female Voice] "Those are my conditions. In return, the Bloodshot Clan will earn the highest honor my brother can give as well as revenge on Sanctuary."

[Bandit 1] "What makes you think I would let a woman take over control. You're only good for making me a sandwich."

*laughing* [Bandit 1] "Am I right boys?"

*painful grunt followed by gurgling* [Female Voice] "Anyone else want to piss me off?"

[Bandit 2] "No my goddess, we will be loyal to the end."

[Female Voice] That is more like it, call me Eve you maggots."

"Recorded message ends."

The Echo recorder began smoking and died. "Now it is official," Lilith stated, "the Bloodshots are planning an attack."

"But what about Eve? Her accent sounds like those from the Vladof Corporation." Maya added.

Mordecai quickly interjected. "It's not Vladof because they don't hire female sales representatives, let alone give one control of the resistance force. We also are not doing anything to oppress the Bloodshots."

Maya looked over at Erick who was deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?"

"We need to be careful about Eve and whoever her brother is, I have a feeling they will be the most dangerous enemies you will have fought."

Lilith crossed her arms and said. "If that is true then our first priority is getting Sanctuary airborne. Maya, I need you to help Scooter and Gaige make that happen. I need Mordecai and Axton to set up camp at the Happy Pig Motel in Three Horns Valley to recon the Bloodshot Stronghold. You need to find out what they are doing and when they will attack. Finally, we will need some explosives. Brick?"

The hulk of a man slammed his fist into his palm. "Looks like I'm going on Official Slab Business. I'll be back in a few days."

When everyone went to carry out their assignments, Montayva, Lilith, and Erick were the only ones left in the control room.

"What can I do?" Erick asked.

"You can help out anywhere; Montayva and I are going to pick up some food and supplies."

"Can I upgrade your computer system?"

"The only thing it is good for is maps. What did you have in mind?"

"Global positioning and communication link all tied through a "learning" AI."

Lilith looked over a Montayva who nodded back.

"Sure go ahead. Might be nice to have another AI." Lilith shrugged.


	10. Ch 9 - Familiar Embrace

The two sirens left Erick alone in the control room. He went back upstairs and finished transferring the contents from his pack to his locker. He was left holding a single item - a computer chip. Erick made his way back to the control room, and found an appropriate port to insert the chip into. A holographic keyboard and file list appeared on the surface of the table where he stood. He scrolled through the list, and selected three files with the names of Atlas, Hermes, and Athena. His fingers moved quickly as he typed in a few brief commands. Moments later, the loading progress bar popped up.

"That's done" He spoke out loud, "I guess I may as well go and help out with the engines." And he left the room, letting the computer finish its task.

Erick was on his way to Scooters garage when he ran into Doctor Zed.

"Hey! Glad you're doin okay. I was just bringing ya some Instahealth vials to help with yer blood regeneration; it will give your energy a boost too." The doctor held out two vials.

"Thanks Doc" Erick said as he took the vials.

"Best you take one now, and the second in a couple of hours. Should fix ya up good" Zed smiled at the younger man before turning back towards his clinic. Erick looked down at the two vials in his hand. He stuffed one into his pocket, and popped the plastic safety cap off the other. He jammed the needle into his arm, and ignored the slight sting as the red liquid entered his system. With that done, he tossed away the empty vial and continued onto the garage. When he arrived, the place appeared empty. After a quick surveyance of the area, Erick noticed an open hatch in the floor, on the eastern side of the room. As he walked closer to investigate, he heard the sound of someone welding. He dropped down into the small, dark passageway, ducking under the low clearance, and making his way towards the light. The passageway finally opened up to a bigger room. In the center, was a huge piece of old looking machinery, he assumed this was Sanctuary's engine. As he glanced around the room, he noticed the other red haired girl who had been bunked in with the sirens. She was sitting at a cluttered workbench, welding up a small component of some sort. She stopped what she was doing, and lifted her goggles to her forehead as she looked in Erick's direction. As Erick saw her piercing emerald eyes, he immediately fell in love even though the memory of the last girl stung his memory.

"It's about time you woke up" She said cheerily.

"Yeah, I feel well rested." He said as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. The girl stood, and wiped her face with the back of her hand, leaving a blackened smudge across her cheek.

"I'm Gaige by the way" She introduced herself, offering her mechanical arm for a handshake. Erick shook her hand, only to have it squeezed tightly in a bone crushing grip.

"Ow, damn!" Gaige quickly let go and Erick recoiled his hand.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to do that!" She apologized quickly.

"You're fine" He chuckled awkwardly, massaging his sore hand "Lets try the other" He shook Gaige's human hand, and introduced himself. "I'm Erick. Is there anything I can help you with down here?" He offered. He diverted his eyes quickly when the Mechromancer noticed him staring at her mechanical limb again.

"Er, if you can find Scooter in the back room, I'm sure he has work for you" Gaige pointed in the direction.

"Alright, I'll head there" Erick could feel the girls gaze boring into his back as he left the room, and he was sure he heard her sigh.

As he made his way to the back room, he passed Maya. The siren groaned in frustration as she wrestled with some tangled wiring. He found only one door that led to what he assumed would be the back room. Scooter was indeed inside, but fast asleep in his chair, feet propped up on a desk. It wasn't until Erick got closer, that he noticed the dirty magazine, opened to a centerfold, lying across the mechanics lap. A swift kick to the chair and Scooter jumped up in alarm. As the magazine fell to the floor, Erick was relieved to see that his pants were buttoned.

"Oh, hey! Sorry bout that, I was just resting my eyes." Scooter yawned and stretched "Whatchu need, man?"

"Gaige said you would have work for me?"

"Yeah" Scooter moved towards a workbench, and referred to a smudged map. "Down this passageway here, and to the left, is an even bigger room, ya see?" The mechanicic waved a greasy finger over the map as he gave Erick the directions "In the middle is a big-ass tower, with a sa-phere, scha-phere, round thing on top! Whatever it you call it, it scares the hell outta me. So what I want you to do is take this here Flux Capacitor and plug it into the electrical panel on the wall over yonder. Then, you need to calibrate the power to 1.21 Gigiwatts." Erick took the capacitor Scooter offered him, and set off, following the directions to the larger chamber. When he arrived, he easily recognized the tower which was similar to one of his high school projects. A Tesla Coil; or at least Pandora's version of one. He found the electrical panel easy enough, and plugged in the capacitor. Calibrating the power only took him a moment and before he flicked the switch, he noticed the secondary coil had some loose wiring. To avoid further damage, he carefully removed the wire and rewrapped it. After spending about ten hours (including an awkward lunch-break spent with Gaige, who couldn't seem to stop her inquisitive staring) the secondary coil was repaired. He pulled the lever that activated the power and stood back admiring his handiwork. The room filled with the low hum of electrical current surging through the Tesla Coil.

"I could do with a recharge." Erick said out loud.

He moved closer to the Tesla coil, extending his arm towards it. An arc of lightning reached out and grabbed his extended limb. He welcomed the familiar embrace of electricity pulsing through his body, as if he were being embraced by an old friend. When he let go of the arc, he turned to find Lilith watching him.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked nervously.

"Long enough, but we'll talk later." The siren diverted the conversation with another question; Erick could tell she had other more important things on her mind. "You hungry?"

"Yeah sure" He shrugged, following Lilith to the surface.


	11. Ch 10 - CL4P-TP D1N3R

They walked past Marcus' shop and through the alley that served as the entrance to CL4P-TP D1N3R. Lilith and Erick met Maya and Montayva and the gang chose a booth. Lilith and Maya sat one side and Erick and Montayva on the other. Shortly after, Gaige came skipping in, her pigtails bouncing with every stride. She stopped on Montayva's side and turned on her innocent voice.

"Montyyy, can I sit between you two?"

The siren just stared expectantly.

Gaige put her hands together. "Pleeease?"

Montayva stood up and the Mechromancer quickly slid in next to Erick while Montayva sat back on the end. A black robot that looked like a box on one wheel was wearing a moustache and top hat.

He rolled up to the table and spoke in a gentleman's voice. "Hello, welcome to Claptrap's Diner, the finest restaurant in Sanctuary. I am CL27-TP but you can call me by my locally designated name, Reginald. I will be your waiter this fine evening."

The group ordered their food and Reginald passed out glasses of water. Erick took a sip from his glass and looked over at Gaige. She quickly looked away and Erick could see her blushing under the black smudge on her face.

"Your face is dirty." Erick said as he dipped his napkin into his water. "Hold still." He gently held her chin and wiped the black mark off her cheek.

When he was done, she looked over at him and gave a shy smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiled back.

Lilith cut in. "So Erick, you already know my question."

"Yeah, I suppose I do. My power is electricity, anything from simple magnetism to godlike lightning."

"What were you doing with that tower?"

"The tower is a Tesla Coil. I was using it to charge myself up because whenever I use my power, it expends my energy. I can recharge by sucking down some juice or by absorbing Eridium."

There was a loud crash back by the kitchen. Their waiter spilled a tray of food on Claptrap when he tripped on a mop. Claptrap began yelling violently.

"What the *beep* are you doing! This is the third time this month; do you want to go to the scrap yard? Clean this *beep* mess up!"

Claptrap picked up the tray and smacked Reginald with it. He rolled over to the Vault Hunters' table and apologized.

"I'm so sorry, that was your meal. Because of that inconvenience, your dinner tonight will be free."

Claptrap turned and rolled back into the kitchen, giving Reginald another smack with the tray.

"Interesting." Lilith turned her attention back to the group. "Where were we?"

"Erick, electricity, Eridium." Maya replied.

"Oh yes, Eridium. Does it make you more powerful like it does me?"

Erick thought for a few seconds and said. "Yes and no. Eridium is the source of my power. The more energy I have, the more powerful my attacks _can be,_ but I am like a battery and I need to recharge."

"So if you are like us, then where is your mark?" Maya inquired.

Erick lifted the sleeve on his left arm and raised it so everyone could see. His mark was the color of his skin and looked almost like a burn scar. The design didn't flow like the sirens' marks, but was jagged and looked almost like lightning.

"Why does it look that way?"

Erick lowered his arm and explained. "I don't know why it looks this way. But I do know that I was not born with this. When I was 17, I was home alone one night. Out of nowhere there was an explosion in my backyard, I thought someone lit off a cherry bomb or something back there so I went to investigate. I walked outside and saw this purple, glowing, meteor rock in a smoking crater. You know what I do next?"

"What?" Lilith asked.

"I tried to pick it up but as soon as I touched it, I went lights out. Next thing I remember is I'm waking up in the hospital emergency room with an unsolved crossword puzzle etched onto my arm and an unexplained knowledge of these beautiful demigods called sirens who also happen to be my sisters."

Erick leaned back in his seat and studied the girls, trying to see what they were thinking. Montayva broke the silence when she asked. "How old are you and where are you from?"

"I am 18 years old right now if I remember correctly. My home planet is one called Earth; it is in the Milky Way galaxy."

"I have never heard of Earth before."

"It's probably because we thought we were the only ones in the universe until 20 years ago when a Dahl mining ship made contact with our Moon base. Almost had to shoot them out of the solar system because they seem to think they can mine anywhere they please."

Reginald wheeled over to their table with their food. The gang finished the night with their meals along with stories about the Vault Hunters' adventures over the past six years.


	12. Ch 11 - Bad News

Erick woke early the next morning and worked on finishing the computer system upgrades. Lilith came in late in the morning just as Erick finished.

"Hey killer, you about done with that?" she asked curiously.

"I just finished, you want to watch as I reboot the system?"

"Eh, sure why not."

Erick briskly typed in a command and every computer in the control room went dark. After a few seconds of dead silence, the computers came back to life with their flashing lights and buttons and their all too familiar hum. Lilith jumped when a female voice came out of nowhere.

"Athena War Computer initializing. Verification key required."

Erick quickly answered. "Verification key PI-314159."

"Verification key approved, access granted."

A beautiful woman faded in on the holographic table. She was wearing a white robe that seemed to be blown by a nonexistent wind. Her long hair was tied up in a bun and had braids that wrapped her head like a crown.

Erick greeted the hologram. "Hello Athena."

"Hello Erick." Athena responded. "It seems this system has been inhabited by another artificial intelligence, do you mind if I explore their network?"

"Not at all."

"Impressive." Lilith stated. "But what did you mean by a learning AI?"

"A learning AI, with the proper permission, explores all of the pathways and systems that are linked into their home system. Any information they find is stored in their RAM. I have a friend with the necessary hardware for our communications and GPS systems; she will be in Sanctuary soon."

Athena suddenly appeared again.

"I apologize for interrupting but someone has come through the Fast Travel and is headed this way in a hurry."

Moments later, Mordecai burst through the door. He was out of breath.

"We…ambush…Axt- captured…barely escaped."

Montayva came down stairs to investigate the source of the commotion. She was just in time to catch the hunter as he fainted. Erick quickly rushed over and helped carry Mordecai to the couch and carefully set his head on Montayva's lap. Lilith came back into the room and tossed a firemelon seed pod at Erick.

"Crush it and wave it under his nose." She ordered.

Erick followed Lilith's instruction. Mordecai woke up and tried to stand but was quickly restrained.

"Take a minute, catch your breath. Then, start slow and from the beginning." Erick calmly said.


	13. Ch 12 - Power Up

Montayva removed Mordecai's goggles and bandana and ran her fingers through his dreadlocks as he closed his eyes to rest. After a few minutes and a canteen of water, he was finally allowed to sit up.

Lilith handed him a second canteen and asked. "What happened?"

Mordecai took a sip from his canteen and began. "Axton and I were headed back to camp after a long night of unsuccessful reconnaissance. We arrived just as the sun was coming up and I grabbed my Echo to check in with Sanctuary. There was an explosion at the front door that flung Ax into a wall, knocking him out. Bandits stormed in and grabbed both of us but Junior allowed me to escape. I had to run all the way to the Fast Travel in the Divide because they disabled the one at the motel."

Junior flew in and perched on Mordecai's knee and the hunter began rubbing the bird's head.

"Damn." Lilith cursed. "Alright Mordecai you stay here, Erick you're coming with me."

"Bullshit!" Mordecai protested. "I'm coming too!"

"Fine. Erick do you need anything?"

"Could you get me some Eridium?"

"Sure, give me a few minutes."

Lilith went into the next room and began unlocking the vault.

"Hey Mordy." Mordecai looked at Erick who gestured for him to follow. They went up to the men's bunk; Erick grabbed his sniper rifle and handed it to Mordecai.

"You look like someone who appreciates a good rifle."

"I do, but I have never seen anything like this."

"That is because this rifle hasn't been made by one of your friendly neighborhood corporations. It is a prototype from my home."

"Hold on a second and let me try something."

Mordecai unhooked his digiscanner from his belt and scanned the full length of the weapon.

"Let's see what this baby has in store for us." Mordecai said as a virtual screen appeared in front of him that was concave to his body.

"What shall we name her?"

"What?" Erick asked.

"Every weapon on Pandora has its own unique name, what should be this one's name?"

"Oh, I gotcha. How about 'The Melon Popper'."

"Sounds good; let's check out her stats."

Mordecai's eyes suddenly widened in amazement.

"Is this even possible?"

"What?"

"80,000 damage _with_ 100% accuracy seems too good to be true. There is also this red flavor text that says, 'Can't stop this', what does that mean?"

Erick thought for a while and said. "It can go through multiple bodies as well as their shields."

"I can already shoot through shields." The hunter bragged.

"Even reflector shields?"

"Well…uh…not really."

"That's what I thought. Whatever you can't do, that rifle can."

Before Mordecai could say anything else, Lilith walked in and tossed two bricks of Eridium at Erick.

"This enough?" She asked.

"I more than enough, never really used this much."

Mordecai and Lilith stepped back as the bricks levitated between Erick's hands. His mark glowed a bright electric blue and an arc of electricity extended from his hands into the Eridium. The Eridium absorbed into his body, turning his mark a deep purple. When it was finished, Erick's mark faded back to his skin color.

"Woah, I think I have a new power." He said in amazement.


	14. Ch 13 - Botched Rescue

"New power?" Lilith asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, give me your left hand."

She held it out and Erick immediately grabbed it with his left hand. Both of their marks glowed their light blue and Lilith felt some energy drain from her body. Erick let go and stepped back. He closed his eyes and concentrated. There was an explosive blast of energy as Erick disappeared. He blasted back in behind Lilith and Mordecai, hitting the wall next to the door. The Brother fell flat on his back with a cut above his right eye.

"That was…pretty cool…I guess. You okay?" Lilith asked.

"Yeah, I think I'll leave phasewalking to the professional." Erick groaned as he picked himself up. The cut above his eye closed up and he wiped the blood from his brow.

"One more thing." Erick said as he removed his shirt and ripped the gauze from around his chest. He was satisfied to see the wound had healed and the stitches dissolved. Lilith noted to herself that Erick's mark stopped right at his shoulder and didn't continue on to the rest of his left side like her sisters. An image came to Lilith's mind of Erick with a light blue mark. 'Just doesn't look right.' She thought to herself. Erick pulled on a fresh shirt and grabbed a Gunerang from his locker.

"Ok Lil' I'm ready when you are."

"Get in close you guys." Lilith ordered.

A violet haze surrounded the trio and they disappeared in a blast of energy. When they reappeared in front of the Happy Pig Motel, Erick flinched as if he was going to hit a wall. Mordecai's chuckle was interrupted when a pup skag scampered out from behind a parked bus and ran off into the distance to his den. Everyone drew their weapons and quickly scanned the area for bandits. Junior let out a squawk and flew off of Mordecai's shoulder, circling overhead. Lilith and Mordecai walked over to the hotel to find clues while Erick stayed back to call someone on his Echo. As they approached the blackened hole in the wall where the door used to be, Lilith pointed out the pattern of the footprints to Mordecai.

"They are getting organized, you see how they lined up on the wall before they breached?"

"Yeah," Mordecai replied, "you should have seen them in action. I probably already said this but they even disabled the Fast Travel which forced me to run all the way to the Divide."

The duo found no clues inside the hotel since the bandits had looted it dry so they decided to see what Erick was up to.

As they approached him, they overheard the last of his call. "-make sure to be there by then."

He turned off the Echo and spun around at the sound of Lilith's voice.

"Who was that?" She questioned.

"Arycka, my friend with the hardware I told you about. I was making sure she was on her way."

The trio set inside of a charred bus skeleton about 500 yards from the entrance of the Bloodshot Stronghold. After an hour of Lilith and Mordecai bickering over a plan to break Axton out, Erick was rehearsing his own plan repeatedly in his head. A tap on the shoulder from Mordecai woke him from his trance.

"You got any ideas?"

"I'm going to knock on the front door and ask nicely to be invited in."

"Are you out of your damn mind?!" Lilith yelled.

"A little bit…yeah." He replied. "But I do have insurance because I think Eve would be interested to meet me once I put on a little light show."

"Fine, just promise me not to get yourself killed."

Erick looked Lilith dead in the eye. He could see her eyes begin to well up with tears.

"I'll be fine." He reassured her.

Erick slid his repeater into his belt and exited the bus with Mordecai.

"Hold on a second." Mordecai told the Brother.

"Yeah?" Erick replied.

"Just be careful, Lil' has already lost someone she deeply cared about along with many good soldiers. I'm afraid she won't be able to take many more losses."

Erick put his hand on Mordecai's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. If you can't kill me, how bad can a few bandits be?"

Mordecai scoffed as Erick confidently marched toward the wall of the stronghold.

He came within an arms length of touching the wall when a midget fell from the top of the wall. Erick hid behind a billboard that had the Bloodshot Clan symbol (an eye painted in blood) painted over _Dahl 3__rd__ Brigade Memorial Dam_. The midget spotted Erick and hid with him.

"Please don't let him catch me. Please!"

"Alright just shut up."

The front gate of the stronghold lowered as a nomad stepped outside.

"Where's my midget!" He bellowed.

The midget swiped Erick's repeater from his belt, flipped the self destruct switch, and charged the nomad while screaming "Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie!" in his high-pitched voice. *Boom!* The explosion staggered the nomad back a few steps, covering him with blood and entrails. Another bandit came out to see if the nomad was okay and spotted Erick hiding. "Who the hell are you?"

Erick stepped out of cover and addressed the bandits. "I'm with the Federal Bureau of Midget Protection. You are under arrest for the physical and mental torture of a midget."

More bandits came out to investigate as the nomad challenged the Brother. "Oh yeah, you and what army?"

"This army." Erick said as he widened his stance and felt his power surging throughout his body.

The bandits cowered back a few steps as electricity surged across the surface of Erick's arms. He charged the swarm with a pugilistic carnage that reminded Mordecai and Lilith, who were still watching, of Brick. Erick lost count after about 60 bandits when he noticed them backing off and surrounding him. The bandits with guns had stopped shooting which meant he was wanted alive.

"Where is Eve?" Erick demanded.

Everyone remained silent.

He impatiently repeated his demand. "Where the hell is Eve?"

A voice from behind startled Erick. "Right here."

Erick spun around and saw a Nomad Taskmaster towering over him. Before Erick could react, the nomad swung his riot shield and sent Erick flying. He hit the ground several feet from his original position. In his dazed state, Erick felt the weight of several bandits on top of him as they bound his hands behind his back. They picked him up and marched into the stronghold.


	15. Ch 14 - Captured

Erick shook out of his daze as the main drawbridge into the Bloodshot dam lowered. There was a nomad on either side of him and each had one of his arms, dragging him along. Erick felt the sorry excuse of a rope that bound his hands. He chuckled at this but was briskly rewarded with the butt of a gun to the back of his head, knocking him out.

Erick woke up and was immediately overwhelmed by a bright light. Once his eyes adjusted he saw he was in a dark room with a spotlight shining at his face. He was sitting in a chair with his hands tied to each of the arms. Behind him, a door squeaked open and slammed shut. This was followed by light footsteps from heeled boots as Erick saw a female figure stop next to him. She reached out and traced the lines on his mark. Out of the corner of his eye, Erick saw her blue siren mark. He acted quickly to steal some of her energy. She felt the drain and backhanded him across the face. The siren walked out behind the light and began pacing. Erick assumed she was studying him. He knew this would give him time to figure out her power. Erick dissected and deciphered the siren's power but was surprised at what he found.

'Seriously?' he thought. 'Her power is to make men fall in love with her. Damn. I sure hope it doesn't work on me.'

The siren continued pacing behind the light for several long minutes until Erick became impatient.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked tiredly.

Her pacing stopped; she picked up the light and moved it back into a corner which revealed an empty chair facing Erick. The siren stepped into the light and sat in the other chair. She was exceptionally beautiful; her blond hair flowed past her shoulders and her amber eyes seemed to pierce Erick's soul.

Erick decided to speak first. "Are you going to interrogate me, kill me, or torture me with silence?"

The siren replied. "You requested an audience with Eve so here I am."

"So you are."

Eve sat back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. "If you should cooperate with me, I will allow you to live a long and powerful life."

"I was actually interested in you. That's why I let you capture me." Erick stated.

"If that is what you want, I guess I could tell you a little about myself." Eve then took a breath. "I knew I was a siren from the second I was born, yet all of my attempts to learn my power and how it worked were in vain. But one day, an angel appeared before me. He identified me as his sister and taught me how to use my power. He said I could gain more power if I freed him from Pandora's Vault; after that day, I embarked on a quest to find the legendary vault key. I knew I wouldn't be able to find the key alone so I used my gift to ascend to the rank of commandant of the Atlas Corporation. With that, I ordered the occupation of Pandora."

"So," Erick interrupted, "you're the infamous Commandant Steele."

"Yes," she replied, "until my tragic death upon opening the first vault. I wasn't quite dead though. I have vague memories of being brought back to life by psychotic robots until I was put down by the Vault Hunters again but that's not important. I was reincarnated at the hand of my brother. He gave me a new name, Eve, and laid out the plan to free him from the prison you locked him in."

Erick laid his head back and let out a sigh.

"You are so naïve. You don't know what you are trying to release."

Eve quickly interjected. "He already told me everything. All he wants is independence from his mother."

"He wants to kill her! Our mother! Does that mean anything to you?"

Eve sat forward and stared into Erick's eyes. He could see years of pain welling up inside of her.

"A mother gives hugs and kisses and mends her child's broken heart. She doesn't abandon them and lock them away!"

"She has her reasons for not being there for us–"

"There is no us, you are an abomination that was created to cage my beloved brother like an animal!"

In Eve's rage she kicked over the light and stormed out of the cell. Erick heard heavy footsteps approach from behind him as Eve left. The bandit pulled a cloth sack over Erick's head and cinched it tight around his neck. Another bandit entered the cell and Erick felt his left arm being untied as one bandit asked the other.

"Why does she want us to cut his arm off if he's just going to be executed?"

The other bandit answered. "Because, you dunce, if we cut off his arm we sever his power and his chance for escape."

"Okay boss."

Erick began listening carefully to locate one of the bandits. His arm was freed as he heard something shuffling in front of him. Erick quickly raised his arm and shot a lightning bolt in that direction. He heard a scream followed by a dull thud on the concrete floor. Erick heard another bandit to his right and started to aim but was cut short when a metallic collar closed around his neck. He felt every single bit of energy he had instantly drain from his body. Erick reached up and tugged at the collar, it sent a sharp, torturous pain throughout his body. His arm dropped back down and he heard the other bandit in front of him, mumbling. "Damn Joe, he fried you up good."

The bandit walked to the cell door and called out. "Bennyyy!"

A distant voice answered. "What?"

"Bring me a chain, a torch, and your brother's buzzaxe, and hurry; I don't know how long the collar will hold."

"Make Joe do it."

"He can't, he just got fried."

There was about five minutes of silence until someone else walked in. A heavy chain clinked as it hit the floor and the other items were also set down.

Benny asked. "So Jon, what do we do first?"

"Help me wrap the chain around his arm."

They pulled Erick's arm out straight and wrapped the chain tightly around it. Jon instructed Benny to loop the other end of the chain through a ring in the wall and pull. Erick resisted in futility as the sinews in his shoulder began snapping and ended with a loud pop, the dislocation of his shoulder.

"Hold it there Ben." Jon ordered.

Erick let out a short scream as Jon swung the axe, cleanly severing his arm. Erick felt hot blood trickling down his side.

"Quick, get the torch!" Benny called out.


	16. Ch 15 - Abandon All Hope

Erick woke still sitting in the chair. The cell was dark except for a ray of sunlight peeking through a crack in the wall. The bag that covered his head was lying on the floor next to some broken glass from the light Eve kicked over. The smell of blood and burnt flesh stung Erick's nose as he looked to the left where his arm used to be. He had never felt so powerless in his life. Erick heard someone stirring behind him. He tried to stand up to get a better look but his legs were also bound to the chair.

Axton's hoarse voice rang out over the silence. "I finally got a cellmate."

Erick immediately called to the commando. "Axton it's me, can you untie me?"

Axton grunted as he stood and limped over to Erick. He began loosening Erick's bonds as the brother caught sight of his injuries. Axton had multiple bruises on his face and lacerations on his right eyebrow and lower lip. His shirt was also torn and covered in blood. Axton moved over to untie Erick's left arm but stopped cold.

"Damn, I thought I had it bad."

Erick stood uneasily. "They cut it off to remove my power."

"Did it work?"

Erick slowly nodded.

Both men got quiet when they heard someone walk up to the cell door and begin unlocking it. Erick scrambled to pick up a large piece of glass from the pile and put it in his pocket. The door opened and two bruisers entered with Eve behind them. One of the bruisers aimed his shotgun at Axton and told him to step back.

Eve approached Erick. "I see you are getting cozy with your cellmate."

"Bite me." He replied.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Eve threatened. "I actually have a proposal for you."

"Shall I repeat myself?"

"Just hear me out."

Eve slowly reached out and wrapped her arms around Erick's neck and pulled him closer, gently pressing her lips to his. Erick tried to resist but he could not move. He instead felt his own arm wrapping itself around Eve's waist to pull her closer. This made Eve go deeper and Erick felt the world melt away as their tongues playfully wrestled each other. Nothing else seemed to exist.

A sudden sharp ring woke Erick up and returned control of his body. He bit down on Eve's poisonous tongue and she wailed in pain as she withdrew. Erick retrieved the glass shard from his pocket and aimed it at Eve's throat. One of the bruisers stuck his thick arm in the way taking the three inch shank into his forearm. The glass shard was no more than a sliver to this seven foot tall hunk of meat and only pissed him off. He swung his shotgun like a bat, sending Erick sailing backwards. Eve exited the cell while mumbling orders for Erick and Axton to be taken to the surface. The bruisers grabbed the prisoners and led them like ragdolls.

"Please tell me you have a Plan B." Axton begged.

"That was my Plan B." Erick replied.

Hey stopped at a large door that slowly screeched open to let in the blinding afternoon sun. They were led outside to the top of the dam in front of a huge golden statue made of junk that resembled a six-armed man with a gun in each hand. Axton saw bandits lining up in front of them.

"I came to Pandora to escape a firing squad. I didn't think I broke my wife's heart that badly." He exclaimed.

Erick turned to the commando and shook his hand. "It was nice knowin' ya."

"Same here kid."

A nomad pacing behind the line ordered the line ready. The bandits raised their rifles and aimed at the prisoners. Erick closed his for a memory that had calmed him in the past. He recited.

"_Clouds leaving the sky_

_A new friendship has been forged_

_By light of the sun"_

"FIRE!"


	17. Ch 16 - Reunion

An explosion of gunfire ripped through the air. Erick didn't feel any bullets pierce his body so he thought his death was quick and painless. He opened his eyes and was surprised by what he saw. A dome of ice protected him and Axton with a third inhabitant. A young woman. Her hair was snow white and reached just past her knees. It was pulled back, revealing a shy and innocent face. Erick instantly recognized her.

"Ari!" He called out.

The siren turned to her brother.

"Erick what happened to your arm?" Her soft voice asked in disbelief.

"Later," he said, "give Axton your Echo." Erick turned to the commando. "Call for help."

A sharp pain shot through Erick's abdomen but his attention was quickly diverted when the bandits stopped firing. Their distorted figures could be seen scrambling around on the other side of the fractured ice. An explosion shook the dome and punched a hole in it; the bandits were now firing rockets. Ari got to work reinforcing the dome. Seconds later, an explosion inside the dome decimated it and sent ice chunks in all directions. Lilith appeared as the violet haze cleared. She called them in close and they phased back to the Happy Pig Motel. Mordecai and Junior were waiting for them when they appeared.

"I thought you had a plan." Mordecai said to Erick.

"Lost it with my arm." He replied as he sat on the ground with his back leaning on the wall.

"Are you alright?" Lilith asked.

"I'm better off than I would be if my baby sister hadn't shown up." A small smile crept across his face. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

The shy siren seemed to shrink when everyone turned their attention to her. "I- I'm Arycka but my friends and family call me Ari. I am also Erick's sister."

"We all know that honey." Lilith interjected. "All sirens are Erick's sister."

"No, what I mean is we are related by blood."

Junior began squawking loudly while violently flapping his wings.

"What's wrong?" Axton asked.

"I don't know; he only freaks out like this when something big is coming." Mordecai answered as he tried to get his bird under control.

A convoy of bandit trucks raced past the motel, filling the air with a deafening roar and exhaust fumes. The trucks didn't seem to see the crew since they turned left toward Three Horns Divide. Erick worked to get to his feet and walked over to Lilith.

"They're headed for Sanctuary. You need to get to the control room and tell Athena to get the city airborne."

"Alright, I'll take you with me."

"No. I don't know if I can handle the pressure from another phaseblast. Take Mordy and Axton; Ari and I will meet up with you later."

Lilith, Mordecai, and Axton disappeared in a violet explosion. Arycka ran over and hugged her brother.

"What happened to you?" She asked as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I got a little cocky. I'm just glad you showed up when you did." He answered as he rubbed her back.

Arycka let go and wiped her tears away.

"Did you bring my storage deck unit?" Erick asked.

"Yeah."

Arycka took a small, metallic box from her pack and tossed it to Erick. He then pushed a button on the top and threw it on the ground where it expanded into a large chest. The chest opened as Erick approached it. He pulled out a black leather duster and a large revolver. He put the duster on with Arycka's help as the chest shrank back into its regular size. Arycka put the storage deck in her pack.

"Follow me." Erick said as he started walking.

Arycka ran to catch up.

"I thought Sanctuary was the other way?" She asked.

"It is, but if we go through the Divide we'll have to deal with those bandits."

"So where are we going now?"

"We are going into The Fridge. We can use that fast travel station to get back to Sanctuary."


	18. Ch 17 - Rat Food

Erick and Arycka arrived at the entrance to The Fridge. The only thing separating them from their destination was a large metal door. Erick pushed the button on the control panel but the door would not open.

"Shit," Erick cursed, "iced over."

Mordecai's voice broke over the Echo. "Sanctuary is airborne so you might want to be careful. There are a lot of pissed off bandits headed your way."

"We'll be gone by then." Erick said. "Could you ask Athena to defrost the door to The Fridge?"

"Sure, hang on a second."

Flames shot out of the vents on either side of the door, melting the ice. The inferno subsided after a few seconds and allowed the door to open.

"Watch for rats." Erick warned.

"What?"

"You'll see."

As soon as they passed the threshold a wave of biting cold hit them like a wall. Each breath Erick drew in froze his lungs. He began shivering violently.

Erick pointed ahead with a shaky finger. "The fffast travel shhhould b-be around that c-c-corner."

Once they got around the corner they saw the fast travel to their right. They stopped. It was eerily quiet except for a quiet shuffling coming from behind the fast travel station. Erick drew his revolver as he approached to investigate. The shuffling suddenly stopped. Erick slowly cocked the hammer of his weapon. The click of the hammer caused a scrawny humanoid figure to charge out from the fast travel and scampered around the corner just as Erick shot at it.

"That is a rat." Erick explained. "Very fast, very dangerous, bloody good pickpockets."

"Please don't say that word." Ari begged.

"Oh, sorry. I kinda forgot about that."

Erick walked over and activated the fast travel station but a robotic female voice said. "Error, no memory found."

"He took the hard drive didn't he?" Ari asked.

"He sure did. I'll-"

Ari stopped her brother mid sentence. "You stay here and I will go get it."

"Fine but please be careful."

Ari followed the path the rat took while Erick paced to keep warm. After a couple minutes, Erick began wondering if Ari was alright. He was about to check on her when a deafening crash echoed through the tunnel. Erick assumed the worst. As he ran after his sister, a tripwire caught his foot causing him to fly into a wall. Erick fell to the ground paralyzed with pain. He heard soft footsteps approaching and saw it was a rat.

"Oopsy someone had a tripsy." The rat snickered.

It put its ear to Erick's chest. "Strong heart for a strong boy.

The rat lifted its head and began examining the rest of Erick's body.

"Mmmm. So lean, so very tasssty." The rat snickered again.

"Hey!" Ari yelled.

The rat looked up just as it was flung away. Ari ran over to Erick; her skin was pale.

"I told you I would be okay."

She crouched down and began helping Erick to his feet. "Careful! I screwed up my back."

Ari draped Erick's arm over her shoulder and led him toward the fast travel. As they got closer, Erick saw the rat lying on the ground with an icicle impaled through its chest.

"Did you get the hard drive?" Erick asked.

"Yeah, I saw a group of them passing it around and I felt the ceiling was made of ice so I dropped it on them. I'm actually surprised I didn't pass out when I had to look for the hard drive."

Erick felt his sister begin to go weak in the knees.

"Come on stay with me."

Ari suddenly collapsed and pulled both of them down. Erick quickly reacted to break her fall but cut his hand on a sharp piece of ice on the floor. He felt the cold air numbing his pain away as he got to his feet. He then put Ari's arm over his shoulder and grabbed around her waist to pull her up.

After wrestling his way to the fast travel station, Erick plugged in the hard drive and traveled to Sanctuary.


	19. Ch 18 - Don't Give Up

Erick arrived in Sanctuary with Ari's arm slung around his neck. As the warm air chased away the numbing cold, Erick felt his strength diminish until he could no longer hold Ari or himself up.

"Where are we?" Ari asked as she woke up.

"Sanctuary, how are you feeling?" Erick asked concerned.

"I'm still a little light headed but I'll live."

A squad of Crimson Raider soldiers walked into the station and spotted the two siblings on the ground.

Erick greeted the soldiers. "Hey guys could you help us to the HQ?"

The squad leader ordered the other two soldiers to help Erick while he linked his arm under Ari's.

"We were actually sent to look for you guys. Commander Lilith was beginning to worry." The squad leader said.

Axton was watching from the second floor balcony as Erick and Ari were carried into the HQ. Mordecai dismissed the soldiers and helped Erick to the men's bunk room.

"Is it me or are you even more beat up than when we left you?" Mordecai asked.

"I wish I could say it was just you." Erick answered as he eased into a chair.

Mordecai called Junior to his shoulder. "You should get some rest before Lil' gets back from her medical supply run. I'll take care of Ari."

Ari gave Erick a quick hug before following the hunter out, leaving Erick alone to finally absorb everything that happened since he lost his arm. He became angry at himself for giving up before he had the chance to meet up with Ari since he left home.

"Are you alright?" Montayva asked as she stopped inside the doorway.

Erick shifted in the chair to make himself look more comfortable. "I'm doing pretty good considering what has happened."

"Don't lie to me. You are tearing yourself up inside and it is giving me a headache."

"I have to find a way to block you from reading me." Erick joked. "But since I am caught I guess I have to come clean."

"You can give me the short story if you want."

"I gave up."

"On what?"

"Life."

"What else are you hiding? I know that is not why you are pissed at yourself."

"I realized that when I accepted dying in that execution, I was giving up on Ari. She has always looked up to me and I don't know how she could survive without me being alive."

Lilith pushed through the doorway carrying a small box which she set on the table.

"What are you guys talking about?" Lilith asked.

"I was just checking on him." Montayva answered as she gave Erick a comforting smile before leaving.

By this time the warm air had chased away the numbing cold from The Fridge causing Erick to now feel every cut and bruise on his body. He was glad though because pain meant he was still alive.

"Dr. Zed doesn't make house calls?" Erick asked as he struggled to shrug off his duster coat.

"He does but I don't trust him much with surgeries anymore. Mordecai almost lost his leg a couple months ago because it got infected after he had a bullet removed."

"Does he think the same way as you do about the doctor?"

Lilith shook her head. "No, he blames it on the dirty bullet."

"I see. So, what's in the box?"

Lilith opened the box and began emptying its contents onto the table. "Just some medical supplies: bandages, instahealth vials, etcetera."

Erick looked at the laceration on the back of his hand. He didn't think the cut was that big but the numbing cold must have masked the feeling of it cutting the length of his forearm.

"Start with this." Erick said as he held out his arm to Lilith.

As Lilith wrapped Erick's arm, she asked. "What happened to Arycka?"

"She is hemophobic. Sometimes even saying the word, blood, can make her faint."

"That is a bad thing to have on this planet."

"That's what I told her."

"Then why did she come?"

"Because she is a siren."

Lilith let out a short laugh. "I'd say that is a good reason."

"It is but I don't want anything to happen to her. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten hurt for being alone for a month."

"She hasn't been with you the whole time?"

"No, I have been here about a year longer than she has."

Lilith finished bandaging Erick's arm and took out a small, bowl-shaped, metal plate from the box.

"We need to clean this up first," Lilith gestured towards Erick's left shoulder, "but if you want, I can put this cap in for a cybernetic arm."

"Just clean it up and then I'll think about it."

Lilith set the cap down and began to pull Erick's shirt up.

"Stop, just cut it off."

She then grabbed a pair of scissors and carefully cut along the center of the shirt. When it was done, she slipped the right side of the shirt off.

"Nice bruise."

"Where?"

Lilith pointed to a bullet-shaped bruise on Erick's abdomen. He let out a short, painful laugh. "Why couldn't I be bulletproof when Mordy shot me?"

"The ice must have reduced the velocity of the bullet." Lilith pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. Wait! What are you doing?"

Lilith froze. "I am taking the rest of your shirt off."

"Well hold on a second. When you take that off it will also peel the scab off and cause me to start bleeding again. First, you will need to inject an instahealth vial into my shoulder which will quickly stop the bleeding."

"Wow, that's…smart. Where did you learn that?" Lilith asked as she injected the vial.

Erick cleared his throat and thought for a while before beginning. "I arrived on Pandora with only the clothes on my back and a rifle slung over my shoulder. I was the hired by a man named Theddicus to protect his caravan and in turn he would feed me and teach me about Pandora."

"How is this story relevant?" Lilith interrupted as she finished removing Erick's shirt.

"Sorry about that, I was rambling. One day, one of the guys got his leg chewed off by a skag so we put it in the fire to quickly cauterize it. We then used that trick to properly clean it."

"Wow. So why did you leave the caravan?"

"It was holding me back from my quest so we parted ways and I haven't heard from him since."

"Hmmm." Lilith thought for a few seconds. "I am done cleaning this up, did you want the arm or not?"

"Yes, put it in before I change my mind."

Lilith picked up the metal cap and showed Erick the convex side. "This side will face in." She turned it over to the concave side which had four small rods poking out of it. "These spikes will deploy into your shoulder to make this cap a sturdy anchor for your arm."

Lilith instructed Erick to hold still as she put the cap to his shoulder.

"Ready?"

Erick slowly nodded.

"One. Two. Three."

Erick looked over at Lilith in disbelief. "That didn't hu- Ahhhh! Wh- what the hell?"

"The spikes must have deployed late." Lilith said apologetically.

Erick sighed as he rubbed his sore shoulder. "Now that I am all patched up, how is Ari doing?"

Lilith paused in the doorway with the box in her hands. "She is sleeping now but I would worry more about you. Get some rest and I will send one of the girls with something to eat in a bit."

After Lilith left, Erick laid back in his bed trying to get as comfortable as he could for how sore he was. Erick didn't realize how tired he was until he closed his eyes.


	20. Ch 19 - To Moxxi's

Ari woke up in the girls' bunk with the bright sun shining in her face. She checked the time and determined she had been asleep for about ten minutes. As Ari sat up, she saw some of the others in the room as well. Maya was in the corner braiding Montayva's hair but Ari could not hear what they were talking about. Gaige was lying on the floor with her legs crossed while drawing up a schematic for a robot. Ari quickly stretched before opening her pack that was propped against her bed and pulled out a small ring box.

"What's that?" Montayva asked.

"Erick's birthday is tomorrow and this is one of the gifts I have for him."

"Oh yeah, I remember him saying something about that."

Gaige rolled up her schematic and put it in her locker.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me." She said as she left.

"I think Erick is going to get something special." Maya said with a chuckle.

"I don't understand." Ari said.

"Gaige _really_ likes your big brother."

Ari nodded in understanding. "Well she is very cute. If I know Erick like I used to, I think he likes her too."

"That is true from what we have seen so far."

The girls jumped when they heard Erick scream from the other room.

"What the hell is Lilith doing to that poor kid?" Maya asked.

Montayva closed her eyes. "He is okay; Lilith must have put the cap in his shoulder."

The girls remained silent for several moments trying to hear if anything else was happening.

"Why is it so quiet?" Lilith asked as she set the box next to the door.

"We were just trying to figure out what was going on." Maya said, tying off Montayva's long hair.

Lilith lay back in her bed. "I am amazed at how well he is holding it all together. It looks like Brick beat the shit out of him and on top of that, Erick had his arm chopped off and is still recovering from the severe blood loss caused by Mordecai."

"What is he doing now?" Ari asked.

"I told him to stop worrying about you and get some rest."

"That's like asking water not to be wet." Ari remarked.

"You say that as if you expect nothing less."

"That is just what he does."

"Why don't we go down to Moxxi's. It might take our minds off of Erick and give him a chance to heal in peace." Maya suggested.

Ari, Lilith, and Montayva reluctantly agreed and followed Maya down to the first floor where they saw Gaige. Ghostly wisps of smoke were carelessly floating to the ceiling from the spot Gaige was soldering on a piece of machinery that resembled a human hand. She looked up as the four sirens stopped in front of her workbench.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"We are meeting the boys at Moxxi's bar." Lilith said. "You should probably come with us since you haven't eaten anything today." She added sternly.

Gaige hesitated for a few seconds but decided to join the girls instead of fighting Lilith.


	21. Ch 20 - Rain Rain

Mordecai and Axton were having a lively conversation over their beers when the girls arrived. Mordecai spotted them and waved them over.

"You're just in time; we ordered a large basket of rakk wings not too long ago."

"There was nothing else we could do except worry ourselves gray." Montayva said, sliding next to Mordecai and giving him a kiss.

"Axton and I were just talking about his near death experience and I do believe he wanted to thank someone." Mordecai said as he kicked Axton under the table.

Axton almost spilled his beer when he jumped. "Oh yes, uh, thank you Ari for saving my life."

Ari smiled at the commando. "No problem."

Moxxi approached the table carrying a food basket. "Here you go, one large basket of fried rakk wings and I will bring another round of brews for the new arrivals."

Axton gestured toward Moxxi as soon as she was out of earshot. "In case you didn't know, Ari, that is Moxxi. The most promiscuous woman on Pandora."

"She does have quite the reputation. I learned about her within an hour of arriving." Ari said.

Lilith kindly gathered everyone's attention. "I would like to hijack this conversation so we can learn more about Ari."

The table unanimously agreed and Axton was the first to speak.

"I would like to thank you again, on my own terms, for rescuing me. What I want to know is that during the execution, Erick said something."

"What was it?" Ari asked suspiciously.

"I couldn't hear what he said but it sounded like something Zer0 would say. The way he talks."

"A haiku?" Lilith suggested.

"Yes!"

"Oh." Ari exclaimed.

"What...Is that bad?"

There was an interruption as Moxxi arrived to distribute the new round of drinks. Montayva passed her bottle over to Mordecai who happily began drinking it.

"Is that bad?" Axton repeated.

"I'm not sure. Erick uses that haiku as a way to calm himself down because of what it reminds him of."

Montayva silenced Axton as he was about to ask another question.

"I think that is a question you will have to ask Erick." She told him.

Maya, eager to change the subject, asked excitedly. "Is there anyone special in your life?"

Ari slowly cracked a shy smile as her usually pale cheeks faded into a light rosy color.

Maya looked as she was about to tackle Ari out of excitement and impatiently blurted out. "Come on! Don't leave us hanging in suspense!"

Ari waited for Maya to calm down before she satisfied her request. "Alyx is about as tall as I am with short, spiky, black hair and is very vivacious yet gentle with me."

"He sounds like a great guy."

Ari's face grew redder with embarrassment. "Oh…uhm."

"What's wrong Ari?" Montayva asked.

"I kinda forgot to tell you that Alyx is…a girl."

"Why are you nervous about that?"

"Well, where I come from, most people hate it when someone falls in love with another of the same sex. Their judgments can be pretty harsh sometimes."

Lilith put her arm around Ari's shoulders. "You don't have to worry about us, we won't judge you. You and Erick are part of our family now and we will protect you no matter who you like."

Ari leaned her head onto Lilith's shoulder. "Thanks Lil'."

"Sso, Erick had someone else to talk to about girls." Mordecai slurred.

"He was quite proud of that actually. I also taught him the secret to understanding women."

"Why couldn't you be my sister?" Axton asked.

Ari giggled. "It's not that hard, I just told him that he would have a better chance to turn into a girl himself. It's impossible to understand us."

Mordecai clapped a heavy hand on Axton's shoulder. "Look on the bright side, if we were able to fully understand them, our heads would explode."

The whole table erupted into a fit of laughter at Mordecai's drunken comment.

"Okay honey, I think that's your last one." Montayva said as she moved Mordecai's bottle away from him.

"Oh come on just one more. Ari hasn't drunk hers."

"No." Montayva said sternly. "You promised to cut down on alcohol and I have been a little too lenient."

Mordecai innocently leaned his head onto Montayva's shoulder. "I'm sorry baby, I am just having trouble dealing with our little bro fightin' for his life and there's nothing I can do to help."

"The best thing we can do is wait," Ari said, "he is a lot stronger than we think."

A deafening explosion of thunder rolled through the sky outside causing a dead silence to settle throughout the bar. Another explosion rolled through the sky causing some of the patrons to investigate.

Maya, who had the keenest hearing, said. "I think it is raining, I can hear it."

Most of the group immediately vacated the table leaving Lilith, Ari, and Gaige.

"You girls aren't going to play in the rain?" Lilith asked.

"No, we're good." Ari and Gaige answered simultaneously.

"Well in that case, would you mind picking up something for Erick? I already ordered it."

Sure, where do we pick it up?" Ari asked.

"Just go up to the bar and talk to Moxxi."

"Okay, you can go play in the rain if you want."

Lilith cracked a smile and skipped outside into the rain.

"They seem so excited about a little rain." Ari said as she stood and walked slowly toward the bar.

Gaige immediately began following her. "Most of these people haven't seen the rain since they were kids but I haven't been deprived long enough to care that much yet. What is your reason?"

Ari smiled as she gave her simple answer. "It ruins my hair."

The girls waited at the bar as Moxxi brought out a brown paper bag full of food.

"Give Erick my love," Moxxi said, "I am definitely rooting for him."

Gaige took the warm bag into her arms and followed Ari outside. She was prepared to start running through the torrential downpour but was pleased to se Ari forming an umbrella out of ice.

"You sirens really impress me sometimes," Gaige complemented.

"Erick used to tell me that all the time before he got his power. I could tell he was very jealous of me but tried not to show it."

"Yeah," Gaige sighed, "I kinda overheard what the girls told you after I left so I was wondering if you could help me out."

Ari nimbly dodged a naked man dancing through the rain. "I will not set you up on a date but I will give you some advice. Erick is cautious around girls he likes because he doesn't want to ruin anything. But if he thinks you like him too, he will start flirting with you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but don't get frustrated if he goes a little too slow for you, it is just how he handles this."

Ari tossed her umbrella on the ground causing it to shatter as the girls arrived under the canopy of the HQ entrance.

Gaige offered the bag to Ari and asked. "Can you take this? I need to finish a project."

Ari silently agreed and took the bag as she smiled at Gaige. She then left Gaige at her workbench and climbed the stairs to the third floor. Erick's bed was empty when Ari entered the men's bunk which caused Ari to worry.

A familiar voice called out from the balcony. "Hey sis."

The relieved siren set the food on a nearby table and met her brother on the balcony.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

Erick wrapped his arm around Ari's shoulders. "Tired, powerless, and sore. The charge in the air from the storm is refreshing but it is not enough."

"I'm sorry, -" Ari began.

"Don't be sorry, this was my fault."

"Are you hungry? I brought you some fried Rakk wings." Ari asked, trying to change the subject.

"It's not the Colonel's chicken but it is close enough. How was school?"

Ari shrugged. "Well, I graduated."

"Did you beat your big brother's ol' 1690?"

"No…my SAT was a 1650 though."

The two siblings were silent for several moments before Erick broke the silence.

"Did Axton ask about my haiku?"

"Yes. I didn't tell him much and he doesn't know about Syrena but you are probably going to have to talk about it soon."

"I know sis, just give me time."


	22. Ch 21 - Good Morning

Erick woke up the next day refreshed but still drained. He would have to get used to being powerless. Erick sensed he was not alone and saw Gaige sitting patiently with a crudely wrapped box in her lap. She smiled at him as he absorbed her new appearance. Gaige had let her hair down today, it was slightly curly and went just past her shoulders. She also was wearing jeans instead of her usual skirt and striped leggings.

"I could definitely get used to this." Erick grunted as he sat up.

"Get used to what?" Gaige asked.

"Waking up to see a cute girl watching me sleep."

"Oh, are you implying something?"

"Never mind." Erick said, cursing himself for saying something so stupid. "I just want to know why you changed your look."

Gaige shuffled a little in her seat. "I guess I finally decided to grow up. But I am still the same rebellious teenage anarchist. You don't like my new look?"

"I love it, it looks very cute. I was wondering where you got the new clothes."

"The girls and I went out to Freedom City which is where Hyperion's city of Opportunity used to be."

"I never heard of Freedom City before but I visited Opportunity a couple months back and it was just a flooded ghost town."

"Things on Pandora have been changing quickly ever since the first vault was opened, even faster since Handsome Jack's death. Sanctuary is too small to accommodate everyone that wants to escape from bandits so Moxxi took over Opportunity and renamed it. She says it is so she can build a bigger and better Underdome but everyone knows she has a heart. Erick paused for several moments, reminiscing about how he always wanted to prove his strength in the legendary Underdome. His mind wandered back to his curiosity of what was in the box Gaige was holding.

"What is that?" Erick asked as he pointed at the box.

"It's for you." She answered, setting it in Erick's lap. "Open it."

Even though it was crudely wrapped, the thick paper proved difficult to remove. Erick finally removed all the paper after several moments and opened the box to reveal a cybernetic arm in perfect proportion to his own.

"I hope you don't mind, but I measured your arm while you were asleep." Gaige said.

"I don't mind, but how do I put it on?"

Gaige lifted herself out of her chair and walked over to Erick.

"Hand it to me." She ordered.

Erick grabbed the arm by its wrist and heaved it into Gaige's hands.

"It's heavy." Erick remarked.

Gaige flashed a quick smile. "It is about 80% heavier than your human arm which is just enough to throw off your balance. Your body will get used to it eventually."

"Do I need to heal more before we put it on?"

"No, the spikes seek out and attach to the bones in your shoulder to create a sturdy foundation. Lilith also gave you another Instahealth injection last night."

"Dang. I always knew I was a heavy sleeper but not that heavy."

"You snore."

"What? I don't snore!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"No I don't, I can prove it."

"Prove it then."

"One night, I wanted to see if I snored. So I decided to stay up all night and I didn't hear myself snore once."

"You're so full of it." Gaige laughed. "Of course you won't snore, you're awake."

"I guess you're right. It's probably as credible as the dream where I was eating a giant marshmallow and when I woke up, my pillow was gone."

"How do you come up with that stuff?" Gaige asked.

"My grandpa." Erick answered simply.

"Did you learn a lot of stuff from him?"

"Yeah. He practically raised me because my dad was away most of the time. That time away paid off for him though because he is now an Admiral in the space navy."

"So, your mom wasn't there to raise you?"

Erick paused solemnly for a moment.

"She passed shortly after Ari was born due to hypothermia caused by Ari's power."

"That's terrible."

"The worst part is, Ari still blames herself even though she had no control over it."

Erick's arm clicked loudly into its socket causing the sore pain in his shoulder to amplify. Gaige paused for several seconds when she saw Erick flinch. She then positioned the arm so it looked comfortable.

"Have you ever slept on your arm in a way that caused it to be numb?" Gaige asked.

Erick nodded.

"Well that is what it is like to control this arm except that it is permanently numb. It is linked into your Central Nervous System which makes it easy to control."

Like Gaige said, Erick had no trouble moving the arm around but is movements were jerky to begin with. After a few pointers from Gaige based on her experience and a little practice, Erick's movements became more fluid. He continued to flex his fingers when Gaige began to tell him more about his arm.

"I worked with Athena to create an uplink to her so she can monitor your vitals and so you can communicate with her. It also controls your holoscreen so you can keep track of you inventory, mission notes, and map heading. It is also electromagnetically hardened so you don't fry the circuitry."

"Why would it need to be EM hardened? My power is gone and it is not coming back."

"I don't believe that." Gaige said. "I think your mark was a way of using your power, it is not the source of it."

"Have you talked to anyone else about your theory?"

"Yes, and they agree with me but have their own hypotheses on how to get your power back."

"Their own hypotheses? Like what?"

"Well, for example, Lilith thinks she can jump start you like a car by leeching Eridium energy into your body."

Erick's attention was diverted when he noticed some odd looking spaces between the knuckles on his hand.

"What are these?" He asked, gesturing to his knuckles.

Gaige's face lit up with a mischievous smile. "That is a special surprise. Close your fist tightly and think of wearing a spiked gauntlet."

Erick looked at Gaige with a puzzled expression but finally decided to do what he was told. Almost immediately, three shiny blades digistructed out of the spaces between his knuckles.

"Woah!" He exclaimed.

"Pretty cool huh?"

They are badass."

"I knew you'd like them. I made them out of an alloy of steel, titanium, and Eridium. They are razor sharp and will stay that way. The steel and titanium make it sharp and strong and the Eridium makes it highly conductive."

"You really believe I will get my power back."

"I know you will."

Mordecai's voice cracked over Gaige's Echo. "Are you kids done makin' out? Lilith wants us at the bar."

Both teens turned red with embarrassment.

Erick nervously cleared his throat. "So…uh…how do you put these back in?"

"Just open your fist and they'll retract."


	23. Ch 22 - Happy Birthday

Erick inspected his new arm for several moments before he finally decided to go. He stood unsteadily and walked over to his locker where he pulled out a shirt and some dog tags.

"What's that?" Gaige asked.

"They are my grandpa's dog tags. He was a colonel in the Army until he lost his leg."

Erick slipped his shirt on and turned toward the door. He was feeling fine today but did not want to take any chances so he asked Gaige to help him out. Without hesitation, she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his left arm to hold him up and keep him steady.

Once they were outside, Erick felt a difference in the air. It was colder and there was a slight wind which was caused by Sanctuary's altitude of five thousand feet. They reached the bar after a few minutes and joined a booth with Ari and Brick. Mordecai, Montayva, Axton, Lilith, and Maya were in another booth across the aisle. Everyone was smiling at Erick either because they were glad to see he was okay or because Gaige was hanging off of his arm.

"Hey bro, do you know what day it is?" Ari asked.

"It's the day after yesterday and before tomorrow." Erick joked.

Ari stared at Erick as if she was giving him another chance.

Erick let out a sigh. "It's June 9, 2114, my birthday. The only day I don't forget."

"Then you know what comes with the occasion." Ari said, passing Erick a few wrapped presents she was hiding under the table.

Erick picked the smallest gift that had – _From Ari_ – written on the top. He unwrapped it to reveal a ring box that he flipped open to see his class ring inside. The ring had two stones on top: a golden amber for the top semicircular stone and a deep blue sapphire for the bottom. The stones were separated by 'Caldwell', the name of his school, and surrounded by a ring of twelve small diamonds. One side of the band had Erick's name on it and the other side had the year 2113. He picked the ring out of its box and saw his full name inscribed on the inside, _Erick T. Roberts_.

"You like it?" Ari asked.

"I love it, but…I didn't graduate." Erick said.

"But you would have if you weren't conscripted." Ari said, trying to reassure her brother.

Erick slipped the ring on his right ring finger.

"I guess you're right." He said. "I had to flee a week before finals."

Erick turned his attention the final, bigger present. Ari told him it was from his father and his grandfather. He opened it and saw two items. He picked up the first which was a small, silver lighter. On the front was the crest of the 5th Armored Calvary with the name _Col. James C. Roberts_. Erick flipped the lighter open and lit it like he had done so many times before when he was allowed to play with his grandfather's lighter. It seemed he had only stared at the flame for a few seconds but by everyone's expressions, it was really several minutes. Erick flipped the lighter shut and slipped it into his pocket. The final gift was from his father and was inside a large, yellow envelope. He laughed out loud when he saw the front cover of the comic book he pulled out. The front cover had the hero that looked exactly like Erick. The title of the comic book and the name of the hero was '_The Human Lightning Rod_'.

"They made me into a comic book superhero?" Erick asked.

"Yes." Ari answered. "No prizes for guessing his secret identity."

Erick flipped through the pages and read through the origins of this new superhero.

"How did they get all of the information on the meteor and my conscription?"

"We were interviewed by the comic book company since they were very interested in your story. They even agreed to give Dad a small percentage of their sales of your comic book."

Erick sat back and thought about how much he missed everyone back home. Even if he would never be able to go back home, he still had a new family here on Pandora.

Lilith interrupted Erick's thoughts when she said. "Sorry we didn't get you anything, killer, we didn't know what to get you."

Erick smiled at Lilith. "You guys being here is more than enough. Thank you."

Across the table, Brick lifted his hulking mass out of the booth. "Sorry I can't stay later, I have to go feed Dukino."

He paused next to Erick and placed a painfully firm hand on his shoulder. "Take care of yourself Slab. You may be a badass but you are not invincible. Trust me; I was the same way until my heart started giving me problems."

Brick released his death grip and exited the bar, heading for the fast travel.

Once Brick was out of earshot, Erick asked. "What exactly does he mean by that?"

"Brick is a rage infused Berserker." Lilith said. "He prefers violent pugilism to gunplay at all occasions. Recently, though, his body has been wearing out and he has had to slow down a lot since his heart attack. He was telling you to slow down before it's too late."

"Okay, I understand." Erick said. "I think I learned my lesson after losing my arm."

Erick's sight suddenly became blurry and faded to black. "Ari," he asked, "I need help back to the bunk room, I can't see."


	24. Ch 23 - Temporary Blindness

"What's going on?" Gaige asked, concerned.

Ari guided Erick to his feet and wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

"We'll explain later." Ari said as she guided her blind brother to the HQ.

On the way through Sanctuary, Erick told Ari. "I had another dream about Syrena last night."

"What was it?"

"It was just my memory of the date she asked me out on, the dance. I can't believe how much I still remember about that."

"You still miss her a lot?"

"I think about her every day, Ari."

"I miss her too. She was a really good friend."

"Did you have a chance to talk to her before you left?" Erick asked as Ari plopped him into the chair in the men's bunkroom.

"She kind of disappeared after graduation but Dad promised to give her your letter."

Ari opened Erick's locker and took out a small, handheld, touchscreen computer.

"I forgot the password to open your ghost file." She said.

"Do you remember the first and middle name I want to give my son?"

"Yes." Ari said.

"That's what it is."

Ari quickly typed in the password and activated one of the icons. "I'm sending the reboot signal now."

Erick's vision suddenly awakened with lines of code flashing before his eyes. After a few seconds, his eyes were finally focused and he saw Gaige and Lilith watching him from the doorway.

"I have cybernetic eye implants." Erick explained. "I was blinded in a Hydrochloric Acid spill during Chemistry class but was lucky when I was chosen to test out a pair of eye implant prototypes."

"Keep this up and you'll be more machine than man." Lilith joked.

"Do you have X-Ray vision?" Gaige asked uneasily.

"Yes." Erick lied, causing Gaige to hide behind Lilith.

"I'm messing with you." Erick said. "Even if I did have X-Ray vision I would only be able to see your skeleton."

Gaige slowly emerged from cover, obviously realizing her mistake. "I knew that, I was just testing you."

"Did I pass?"

"Uh, yeah. Yes you did."

"My eyes do have a 2x zoom and, after a little reprogramming, I linked them with Athena so she can give me a heads up display and target tracking system."

Lilith then set four bars of Eridium on the table.

"Do you mind if I try something Erick?"

"It depends on what 'something' is."

"I want to try to recharge you by giving you some of my energy after I consume this Eridium."

Erick stifled a yawn before answering Lilith. "I was planning on laying back down so I guess we can try."

Erick went over to his bed and lay down. He watched Lilith kick Ari and Gaige out before he closed his eyes and felt the world melt away.


	25. Ch 24 - Painful Memories

Instead of waking up the next morning or having a dream, Erick found himself in a dark expanse of something. He called out several times and walked around but found no one.

"This is weird." Erick said aloud.

A female voice answered which startled him.

"That's what I said the first time I came here."

Eric spun around and instantly recognized Montayva standing behind him with her hair flowing freely and her siren mark glowing.

"What the hell is this place and am I awake or asleep?" Erick asked.

"We are inside your head; specifically the area where you see your dreams when you sleep."

"Why am I not dreaming then?"

"You are not dreaming because I want to show you my new power."

"I don't mean to be rude, but it doesn't look like much, Monty."

"Just hold on a sec. Ever since you came along, our siren powers have been developing further and becoming easier to control."

"And you think I caused that."

"We are fairly certain you did."

"Alright," Erick shrugged, "what are your new powers?"

"Well…Lilith can teleport larger objects with greater ease, she can also control fire much like you control your lightning. Maya is now able to phaselock multiple enemies at a time and can actually move inanimate objects with her phaselock."

"What about you?" Erick asked.

"I am more sensitive to peoples' emotions, which is why you gave me that headache. I can also access your 'dream world' while you are asleep and allow you to play back memories as dreams."

Erick paused for a few seconds to absorb the information he had just received.

"Well, how do we get this started?" He asked curiously.

"Concentrate on a memory you want to see again." Montayva instructed. "Preferably one you don't mind me seeing. Then, just tell me when you're ready."

Erick closed his eyes and quickly found his memory. He signaled Montayva who told him to concentrate on his memory.

When Montayva said it was okay to open his eyes, he was back home on Earth. There was a man in the living room that was about 6'3" tall. He was well built and had dark hair with a touch of gray.

"Dad!" Erick exclaimed as he stepped forward.

Montayva held him back. "He can't hear you. We are only spectators."

Erick stepped back as his father feverishly packed items into a duffel bag. A younger looking Erick burst in through the front door.

"Dad, why are the MP's chasing me? I thought I wasn't joining the military."

Erick's father zipped up the bag and turned to his son. "They're conscripting you anyway, which is why I'm finally allowing you to go to Pandora."

Erick ran down the hallway to his room for several minutes. When he returned, he handed his father a sealed envelope.

"Can you make sure this gets to Syrena?" Erick asked.

Erick's father put the envelope into his breast pocket. "I will get it to her. Right now, you need to leave. Here are your tickets but you need to get to the launch facility in Sydney."

"Australia?"

"Yes, all of the American facilities are watching for you."

Erick slung the bag over his shoulder and inserted the tickets into a side pocket. He turned toward his father as if to say a few words in parting but could only say 'goodbye'. He then turned and walked out the back door.

Everything faded back into the darkness that was there before.

"What is happening?" Erick asked.

"You don't know what happened with your father after you left." Montayva explained. "We would be able to see more if we followed you. Did you want to?"

"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to see my father again."

"Alright. Erick, do you mind if I ask a personal question?"

"Go ahead."

"Who is Syrena?"

Erick shuffled around for a while since he knew he could no longer avoid answering this question; especially since he couldn't hide anything from Montayva. He then decided to quit stalling.

"Syrena was the best friend I ever had. I guess I should start at the beginning though." Erick paused to gather his memories.

"When I got my power, I also gained an increased metabolism, and the constant electrical stimulation toned my muscles. So, I wasn't always this pretty. Syrena had been my friend for a couple years until she actually asked me out on a date to the school dance. It was a big deal to me because for the first time, I realized there were girls that like me for who I am and how I look. We talked a lot during that week that led up to the dance and I decided I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend when we went to the dance."

"What happened?" Montayva asked when she felt Erick's sadness.

"The day before the dance, she said she thought of me more as a friend. I completely understood because I knew she had her heart broken pretty badly in the past. To me, it was as if she was afraid to have her heart broken again. The next day, we went to the dance and had a good time. But-" Erick paused again to get his emotions in check.

"But at the beginning of the next week I found out she was dating someone else."

Erick paused for a third time and Montayva could tell this was very difficult for him.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to." She said sympathetically.

"No, Erick protested, "I have kept it in for too long. I haven't even told Ari."

"Alright, if you're willing to talk, I'll listen."

Erick sat on the ground with crossed legs and Montayva did the same.

"That is when it started hurting." He continued. "When she broke my heart. I kept asking myself what I did wrong and other questions like that."

Montayva reached out and grabbed her brother's hand. "She probably had feelings for the other guy and didn't know how to tell you with out hurting you."

"She should have just told me straight out." Erick said.

"Well," Montayva said, "when we are trying not to hurt someone we care about, we sometimes hurt them the most. How did you keep it together for so long?"

"I realized that Syrena was a very good friend that cared about me. I didn't want to upset her because of what happened. I also didn't ask questions I didn't want to know that answers to."

"You care too much about others' feelings, Erick. Sacrificing your own happiness to keep her happy."

"I don't want to seem selfish either. She is the best friend I ever had and has taught me many things to which I am eternally grateful for. I don't know what I would do if she wasn't in my life."

Montayva and Erick remained silent for a short while until Montayva wrapped her arm around Erick's neck.

"Look little bro," she said, "I understand how much you care about people you love. You also don't want to appear weak which is why you didn't even talk to Ari about what happened with Syrena."

"I just don't want to be a burden to anyone. I want to be that one everybody can depend on."

Montayva tightened her arm around Erick's neck. "You are not a burden, we- Ahhhhh!"

Montayva was suddenly pulled into the distance by an invisible force. Erick rushed to his feet but could not see her anymore.

A raspy voice came out of the darkness. "She is gone. It's just you and I."


	26. Ch 25 - Hey Bro

"Who the hell are you?" Erick asked.

"That's cold," the voice answered, "you don't remember me?"

"For all I know," Erick replied smartly, "you're that corrupted sonofabitch I locked away all those years ago."

A force that felt like a fist to the face knocked Erick on his back. He then watched in awe as a figure materialized out of smoke in front of him. The only clothing the figure had on was a surprisingly modern pair of black pants and boots. He was very pale and exceedingly well built; the mark on his left arm was jagged like Erick's but was black instead of the pale skin color. Black veins also crisscrossed his pale body everywhere except for his face. He had long, matted, black hair and his eyes were glowing an Eridium purple color. Erick slowly got to his feet as he saw the figure towering above him at seven feet tall. He knew this was his corrupted brother.

"Everyone knows your title after you were disowned, but what is your real name?" Erick asked, thinking how awkward it was to address his brother as 'The Corrupted'.

The corrupted brother crossed his arms and gave a short chuckle. "I guess you genuinely did forget, I know that eighteen thousand years can wreak havoc on one's memory. My name is Richard."

By this time, Richard's voice had cleared up and now sounded strong, deep, and intelligent.

"Tell me, brother," Richard continued, "what is your name in this life? I have trouble keeping track of all of your reincarnations."

"My name is Erick."

"Ahhhh, yes, the name of a strong leader."

"What do you want?" Erick asked impatiently.

"Your memory is worse than I thought. It's a simple request though. I want my soul back."

"I have my soul and you have yours."

"That is where you are wrong." Richard explained. "Before the war, before you, I believed I had enough power to defeat our mother. I was over confident and, as a result, I was defeated. She wasn't able to kill me, but she took half of my soul, the good half, and created you, the abomination."

"Why couldn't she kill you?" Erick asked curiously.

"She didn't have a physical body and, like you, was too weak. That is why you only imprisoned me. It has been a worse fate than death."

"Why do you say that?"

"You don't know the torture of having your soul ripped apart. It is a worse fate than death!"

"So there is a way to kill you."

"Yes."

"But you won't tell me how."

"I will tell you, but you won't like my answer."

"You die and I become the hero. What's not to like?"

"In order to kill me, you will have to kill your sisters and absorb their powers in order to be strong enough to challenge me."

Erick was stunned at hi brother's answer. If it was true, he would have to make a decision.

"How do I know you're not bluffing?" Erick asked. "You are locked in a vault and aren't getting out. Hell, this is just a bad dream. You can't hurt me."

"Even the strongest things crack under pressure; I will break out whether Eve acquires the key or not. You are also wrong if you think I can't hurt you in here."

"Prove it, asshat."

Richard's face filled with a look of evil pleasure. He then landed a quick blow to Erick's face, knocking him awake and causing him to jump out of the bed. Erick was drenched in cold sweat; he also saw Maya next to him on the ground picking herself up. Ari helped Erick back into his bed where she formed a small chunk of ice and put it in a cloth before applying it to his left eye. He found out there was a large cut on his eye, fight where Richard hit him.

"What happened?" Erick asked as he saw Lilith and Montayva asleep in two other beds.

"Lily and Monty passed out at the same time after an hour of doing whatever they were doing." Maya said. "Ari and I have been up all night taking care of you three. We even kicked the boys out of the bunk to give you some quiet."

"Did I hurt you?" Erick asked, concerned.

"No, you just scared the crap out of me when you jumped."

"Sorry, bad dream."

"What happened?"

Erick then explained what happened with Montayva and afterwards about the information Richard told him.

"I promise I won't kill you guys." He said. "I know there is another way but I need to remember it."

Ari hugged her brother. "I know you won't. But if it really is the only way, I am willing to do what it takes."

When Ari let go, Erick told Maya and Ari he would stay up the rest of the night. He then waited for his eye to stop bleeding before removing his sweat soaked shirt and stepping out on the balcony. His right arm had fresh bandages from his hand to his shoulder which meant Lilith's idea must have worked. He had his mark an power back.


	27. Ch 26 - Looking Good

Lilith and Montayva woke up shortly after Erick told Maya and Ari to get to sleep. They stayed with him on the balcony until sunrise while Erick explained what happened. After he had answered all of their questions, Lilith told Erick that same thing Ari said and Montayva agreed as well. Even though his sisters were willing to die for him, Erick felt an extremely heavy weight on his shoulders because he didn't want to kill them. He grabbed his ivory-handled straight razor and headed for the shower.

He came out a while later feeling cleaner. His cleanly shaven face made him look younger while his blond hair even looked brighter. After he dressed, Eric went to ther first floor and saw Gaige working on one of her projects.

"Hey." Erick greeted.

"Hi." Gaige said without turning around.

"What are you working on?" He asked.

"I'm upgrading Death- Trap…" Gaige began to blush. "Hey cutie."

"Hi." Erick said again; he turned a little redder too. "Uhh, what is Deathtrap?"

Gaige quickly pulled herself together before explaining. "Deathtrap is the killer robot I made for the Eden-5 Science Fair. He is also the reason I am here on Pandora."

"Why is that?"

"Well, I miscalibrated DT's attack and he saw my rival, Marcie Holloway, as a threat since she shoved me. She just, exploded, blood all over the place. Her dad, who has more money than God himself, placed a bounty on my head and now I can't go home."

Erick could see that Gaige missed her family.

"I kinda know how you feel." He said as he placed his hand on Gaige's shoulder. "After I got my power, I unwittingly caught the eye of several government officials. We were in the middle of World War 3 and all they saw me as was a super weapon. I probably would have done some pretty bad things to good soldiers that were only following orders if my father hadn't facilitated my escape."

"I miss my family too," Gaige said, "especially my daddy and his special hot cocoa mix." She cracked a small smile. "If you want to win my heart, hot cocoa is the way."

"I'll definitely remember that. You said you were from Eden-5?"

"Yes, why?"

"On its way to Pandora, the ship I was on stopped on Eden-5 for maintenance."

"Has anything changed?" Gaige asked quickly.

Erick knew what she was talking about since he had listened to her Echo Casts while on Eden-5.

"Not really," he said, "the police force is still more corrupted than the save file on Claptrap's hard drive that doesn't make his voice so damn annoying."

Erick waited for a laugh but didn't get one and cursed himself for making such a stupid joke.

"The cops are cheap – I saw one shoot himself in the foot for $500 – but Eden-5 is still dangerous. I caught a glimpse of that Hollanday, Holliday guy."

"Holloway."

"Yeah, Holloway. He pushed a little old lady on the ground so, naturally, I gave him a piece of my mind and broke his nose." He could tell Gaige liked that. She then gave him the 'So, what happened next?' look and he continued. "After that, I almost got arrested by Robocop but got lucky since my ship was leaving."

"You mean a Crime buster Bot, like Deathtrap here?"

"No, this guy was a cyborg." Erick paused. "I did see those so-called Crime buster Bots too. Whoever designed those things did a piss poor job."

"Marcie Holloway ripped off my designs for Deathtrap and threw them together. The only reason she won the science fair was because her dad paid off the judges."

"What did Deathtrap win?" Erick asked out of curiosity.

"Third place."

"That was when you confronted Marcie and she shoved you, ultimately sealing her fate."

"Yeah, she kinda deserved it. But if it hadn't been for my father, I wouldn't have escaped either."

"I guess we can thank them both for us being able to meet."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…uh…if we wouldn't have met, we wouldn't be friends and I…"

Gaige stopped Erick's nervous ramble. "I like you too, Erick, you don't have to be nervous."

"I get nervous because I don't want to say the wrong thing. I am also kinda new to courting girls so I am not sure of what to do." Erick replied nervously.

"You are doing just fine on your own, like I said, you don't have to be nervous. If you say something wrong, it can be worked out."

"Alright, I will try not to be so nervous."

Gaige just smiled.

"Would you like help with Deathtrap?" Erick asked.

"Follow me." Gaige said, leading Erick behind her work bench.

Hanging from a hoist, there was a robot that had no legs. In place of the legs was an antigravity booster that allowed Deathtrap to float and also move faster. Even though he was built out of scrap metal, Deathtrap looked very sturdy. Erick noticed similar emitters on Deathtrap's hands that were on his own robotic arm. This explained why Deathtrap's arms were built to make wide sweeping motions. He also wasn't symmetrical, his right arm was slightly larger and more armored than his left arm and he had a large pauldron on his right shoulder. Deathtrap's face looked like a ski mask but Erick thought it was missing something.

"I can already think of a suggestion." Erick said.

"What?"

"Deathtrap looks as if he should have something like a saw blade mohawk for aesthetic appeal."

"Oh yeah," Gaige said, "he has exactly that but I haven't put it back on yet. I was actually hoping you could help with programming."

"I can do that. What did you need?"

"I upgraded DT with a better CPU but it's not reading the code."

"What kind of processors?"

"DT Mk. 1 had a single core air-cooled CPU and DT Mk. 2 was upgraded to a dual core nitrogen-cooled CPU."

Erick didn't even have to think about the solution.

"My first guess," he explained, "would have to be that you need to convert you current code into a language your dual core CPU can speak. Can I look at your coding?"

"Sure." Gaige said.

She handed Erick a computer pad and he browsed through the many lines of code.

He let out a deep sigh. "Even at my fastest, it will take days to translate and convert. But…if I upload it to Athena, she can have it ready tomorrow morning."

He started toward the stairs but was quickly stopped by Gaige.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Athena is in the control room upstairs."

"She is also linked to your arm, remember?"

Gaige pulled Erick back to their original location and pulled out an earpiece from a small compartment in his robotic arm. Erick put the piece in his ear and was immediately greeted by Athena.

"Hello Athena." Erick replied.

He was then amazed when he saw Athena's digital figure standing next to him. Gaige started giving Erick funny looks in which he figured out he was the only one that could see and hear Athena due to his earpiece and cybernetic eyes. After Athena finished a tutorial of his heads up display that included a compass heading, ammunition counter, and his body's vital signs, Erick uploaded l the coding to Athena using a port on his arm.

"Now that that's done, would you mind going to the diner with me and getting a milkshake or something?" Erick asked.

"You mean like a date?"

"Yeah."

"I would love to."

Athena then broke across Erick's silence.

"Are you alright Erick? Your heart rate just shot up."

"I'm fine Athena."

Erick removed his earpiece and placed it in the compartment on his arm.


	28. Ch 27 - First Impression

Erick and Gaige arrived at the diner and found two empty stools at the soda bar. Reginald was working behind the bar and greeted the couple in his usual manner and took their orders.

"Tell me more about you, what were you like before you got your power." Gaige asked.

"I was a typical high school kid."

Erick paused to allow Reginald to hand out their milkshakes; Erick had chocolate and peanut butter while Gaige had bubblegum.

"What do I owe?" Erick asked as he pulled a ten from his wallet.

"Oh, nothing," Reginald said, "Vault Hunters dine here for free."

"Consider it a tip." Erick insisted, offering Reginald the money. He reluctantly took it after giving a paranoid look around the diner, obviously looking for claptrap.

Erick turned his attention back to Gaige who was sipping her milkshake. "I was the typical high school kid, procrastinating on my homework and playing videogames in my free time. I never was too popular either, or very good looking."

"Don't say that," Gaige protested, "there is always someone that likes you no matter how you look."

"Thanks." Erick smiled and looked over at Gaige who was drinking _his_ milkshake.

"Hey, that's mine!" Erick said playfully.

"It was melting and I just wanted to try it." Gaige replied innocently. "You want to try mine?"

"No, it's got your girl germs." Erick teased.

Gaige knew he was joking and passed her milkshake to him and he took a sip.

"Tell me more about your family." Gaige said as she passed Erick's milkshake back to him.

"You already know what happened to my mom, but my dad is a career navy man. He is the Admiral of the 27th Space Navy Fleet and, because of the war, we very rarely saw him. This meant we had to be raised by our grandfather. I just called him Colonel."

"Why?"

"As far as I can remember, that is what my father and I always called him. I still envy him to this day because he was one of those men that commanded respect by his very presence."

"He must have been a very impressive man."

"He still is, even though he is over ninety years old."

"That sounds like a man that isn't afraid of anything."

"There was one person he was afraid of though, my grandmother."

"That's interesting, why?"

"I'll tell you like he once told me. Of all the people to fear, fear your wife the most. She knows all your dirty secrets and still loves you. If she is not happy, you are not happy either." Erick finished the last of his milkshake and continued. "It is just the longhand version of a principle every man in my family lives by. Treat her like the goddess she is and you both will be happy."

"You think I am a goddess?" Gaige asked.

"Absolutely."

Erick offered his arm and Gaige took hold of it while asking. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." Erick said. "I'll need you to close your eyes though."

She closed her eyes and he led her to the edge of the city by Moxxi's bar, overlooking a drop straight to the ground 5,000 feet down.

"Do you trust me?" Erick asked as he unwrapped the bandages from his arm. It revealed a newly formed mark exactly like his old one.

"I trust you, but why are you asking?"

"I'm just making sure."

Erick stood at the edge with his back to the open sky and pulled Gaige closer. He wrapped his arms around his waist and felt her shoulder blades poking against his chest.

"Here we go." Erick said.

He jumped off the edge and shifted into a nose dive. Gaige started screaming when she saw what was happening. Erick let his power flow and an angelic pair of wings made from lightning stretched out from his back in an impressive twelve foot span.

"You can open your eyes now." Erick said as he leveled out.

"They have been open." Gaige screamed.

"I heard."

"You're crazy, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know. But it was our first date; I had to make a good impression."

"Aside from the fact that you threw me off a cliff, I would say it's working."

"Looks like my gamble paid off then."

"Just this one."


	29. Ch 28 - Goodnight Kiss

Ari was out in front of Scooter's Garage trying to break the encryption on the firewall of a Badass Constructor that Brick brought home from his most recent Slab raid. Also from the raid were crates of explosives that were being temporarily stored in the garage.

Ari looked out at the setting sun and decided to call it a day as Lilith approached from behind.

"How is it going with that firewall?" Lilith asked.

"Not good," Ari replied, "even with what Erick taught me, I can't get in. If he was here, he would have it down in two seconds."

"I'll have him work on it tomorrow, if they ever decide to come back."

"Did you find them at least?" Ari could not hide it when she worried about Erick.

"Yes we did, Athena has been tracking them all day and last I checked, they were at Terramorphous Peak."

Lilith and Ari set off for the HQ when a bright object caught their eye as it flew through the sky.

"There's Erick." Ari said as they saw him land on the roof of the HQ. It was dark but they saw another figure with him that they felt safe in assuming was Gaige.

"Erick can fly?" Lilith asked, confused."

"Yes." Ari said. "He didn't tell you?"

"No."

"Well, we can all fly. I'll show you and the girls how to fly tomorrow while Erick works on the constructor."

"Should be fun." Lilith said.

They both watched as the as the dark figures of Erick and Gaige talked for a bit before leaning in for a kiss. At that moment, Lilith and Ari decided to stop watching and both continued to the HQ. They reached the bunk level and Lilith went off to the shower while Ari went to the balcony outside the girls' bunk and listened to Erick and Gaige on the roof above her even though she couldn't hear what they were talking about. Shortly afterward, in a burst of violet haze, Erick appeared next to Ari with Gaige in his arms. They gave each other a kiss good night before Gaige went inside.

"So how was it?" Ari asked.

"How was what?" Erick asked, not sure what she was asking about.

"Your first kiss, Erick. What else would I ask about?"

"Oh, well I had this fantasy where I would be extremely nervous but she has a way of calming my nerves. I just went for it."

Ari smiled proudly and wished Erick good night before going inside.


	30. Ch 29 - Tech Afficianado

Erick woke up later the next day since he stayed up most of the night thinking about his date yesterday. He sat up in bed and found a note for him from Ari. It explained that she took Lilith, Maya, and Montayva out for flying lessons in the Arid Nexus. It also told him he had to reactivate the constructor.

He got out of bed and downloaded Deathtrap's program before heading for the constructor. He got through the firewall as easily as Ari predicted but had to stop when he was interrupted by Gaige wrapping her arms around Erick's neck from behind.

"Who is it?" Erick asked.

"Someone who has fallen in love with you."

"I don't know, a lot of people fall in love with me. Can you be more specific?"

"Just guess."

Erick slipped out of her hold, turned around, lifted her up, and propped her up against a wall.

"I do believe I found myself between a rock and a hard place." Gaige said. "Or in this case, between a wall and my boyfriend."

Erick gave her a long kiss before letting her back down but still holding her close.

"So between the wall and I, who is the rock and who is the hard place?" Erick asked.

"I'll leave that up to your imagination." Gaige giggled.

"I say the wall is the rock then." Erick said. "Does the code work for Deathtrap? I only stayed long enough to download it."

"It works perfectly," Gaige said as she kissed him on the cheek, "I calculated a 235% increase in combat effectiveness and I gave DT his Mohawk like you wanted."

"That's good, and you actually came at the perfect time because I need help."

"With what?" Gaige asked as Erick let go of her.

"I broke through the firewall but now I need an AI core to insert into this port over here."

"I have an idea." Gaige said before running off.

She came back soon after with a Hyperion shotgun.

"Hold on," Erick protested, "I understand this can be frustrating but I don't think we have to trash it yet."

Gaige ignored what Erick said and dismantled the shotgun and pulled out an AI core with the serial number 1340 on it. She handed it to Erick who found the core was a perfect fit. The constructor sprung to life and looked at Erick and Gaige with its large blue eye.

"Greetings Vault Hunters I am Hyperion Loader #1340. You have reactivated me in a shell that feels like a whale with an eating disorder however, I will follow your orders anyway. What is my command?"

"Enter standby mode." Erick said.

"Understood."

"Wow, where did you learn to program like that?" Gaige asked.

"Well, I'm mostly self taught. I actually wanted to be an Artificial Intelligence programmer for the gaming industry. My dream was to create AI's that the gamer can connect with on an emotional level which would make it more than just a game."

"But the military got to you first."

"Yes," Erick said, "Athena was actually my prototype for that project. She watches us to learn how to be human because it is impossible to program human emotion. I was only able to program her to learn those things."

"So she is…watching us? Like right now?" Gaige asked uneasily.

"Yes, but it is only so she can learn how humans interact with each other."

"But what if she gets a mind of her own and turns on us?"

"I am a master programmer, Gaige, not a mad scientist; I have watched too many movies about this stuff and, in my paranoia, put several checks in her code and a manual kill switch. She serves me and me alone."

Before Gaige could say anything else, a deafening explosion ripped through the cool air and violently shook the city, sending many people to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Erick asked as he helped Gaige to her feet.

Athena answered Erick's question first.

"A high-yield warhead hit the shield. There seems to be exactly 85 more headed for Sanctuary but…"

"But what?" Erick asked impatiently.

The shield can only withstand four more hits if they match the payload of the first missile and the rest will decimate the city."

"Evacuate the city and get Lilith here." Erick turned to Gaige. "I need you to go as well, head to Freedom City and I will be there shortly."

"I'm not leaving without you." Gaige protested.

"Fine." Erick said. He wrapped his arms around Gaige and phased to the city center of Freedom City. "Now stay here." He ordered before returning to Sanctuary.

He stood at the base of the central tower and saw the city was empty. Athena informed him the bombs were 30 seconds away and Erick decided to phase the city whether Lilith was there or not. Erick's mark glowed its shade of electric blue as he felt his power expand across the city but he could not get a firm grip, the city was too big.

He stopped when someone tapped his shoulder.


	31. Ch 30 - Symbol of Hope

Erick turned around and saw Lilith behind him.

"Keep that up and you'll run us into the side of a mountain." She said.

"That's why I called you, Lil."

"Follow my lead." Lilith instructed.

She spread her arms as her mark glowed and a violet haze began surrounding the city. Erick did exactly what Lilith was doing and found it easier to hold on to the city this time.

Lilith counted off. "Three…Two…One."

At one, a massive pressure wave ripped through the air and the city disappeared. Erick struggled to hold on as his energy drained quickly. When he could no longer hold on, another pressure wave ripped through the air and Sanctuary appeared in the sky above Freedom City. Erick fell on his back, exhausted. There were several buildings including the HQ that took hits from missiles that broke through the shield. The worst damage, however, was at the garage. One of the missiles detonated the explosives and left a large crater where the garage used to be.

"Scooter's not going to be happy." Lilith joked, trying to lighten the tone.

She then looked over at her brother who was still motionless on the ground and immediately panicked. She raced over to the rubble of the HQ and began digging, frantically looking for chunks of Eridium, power cables, small batteries, anything to give Erick enough energy to keep breathing. Then she found it, the Vault Key. Lilith jerked it out of the rubble and raced back over to Erick and wasted no time in tucking it into his arms. The violet glow in the key's veins began receding until they disappeared completely. Erick woke up with a jerk and a gasp.

"It's just a flying rock, you stupid…sonofabitch." Lilith sighed as she settled herself against a nearby wall to rest.

"…not just a rock," Erick objected, "it's your symbol of hope. Your last foothold against Handsome Jack."

"It's still not worth dying for." Lilith replied.

"Maybe not," Erick said, "but I can't let a monument get destroyed without a fight, and, guess what?"

"What?"

"I didn't die for it."

"You thickheaded little twit." Lilith said as she slugged Erick in his arm.

She gave a resigning sigh and asked if Erick needed help with anything else. He declined and told her to go back to her flying lessons, which she reluctantly did. After Lilith left, Erick stood to survey the damage himself. He was about to tell Gaige that he was okay when Lilith returned.

"They're gone!" She screamed.


	32. Ch 31 - Taken

"They left without you?" Erick asked.

"No, they were taken." Lilith said as she produced what she found.

"What is that?"

"It is a control collar; it drains a siren's power and makes us easier to control."

Erick suddenly realized that was what was used on him in the Bloodshot Stronghold when he lost his arm. He remembered the pain the collar gave him and became enraged at the thought of Ari having to suffer through that pain.

"This is exactly why I didn't want Ari to follow me to Pandora. I knew she would get hurt sooner or later." Erick said as his power raged throughout his body. He was about to fly off when Eve's voice greeted them over Lilith's echo.

"I see you enjoyed my little diversion and have had time to realize what is going on. Now bring me the Vault Key or your sirens will die. Meet us at the Hyperion Information Stockade and come unarmed."

Erick could no longer control his rage and released a primal roar as he threw a right hook into a nearby wall, cracking the cement and fracturing several of Erick's knuckles.

"Stop!" Lilith yelled. "Punching holes in the wall won't solve anything, we need to stay calm and figure this out. What do we have as an advantage right now?"

"I completely drained the key." Erick said as he flexed his newly healed knuckles. "That is our only advantage because there is no doubt that Eve knows how to charge the key. She is also not stupid enough to use herself to charge it because using our bodies as a catalyst to charge the key further refines the energy and we store the crap that is left over inside of us; in short, we suffer from slag poisoning. Hopefully she keeps her word and trades the key for the prisoners."

"What if she decides to keep one of them to charge the key?" Lilith asked expectantly.

"Then, I go to Plan B."

"And what's that?"

"If it gets to that then follow my lead."

"Damn it Erick! You're going to get yourself captured again and I'm not going to risk you getting killed again!"

"You have a better idea, Lilith? You going to offer yourself to trade, because _I_ won't let that happen! I was made to protect you girls and if I can't do that then I have failed. So yes, Plan B is to offer myself so all of you can get home safely."

Fine, I'm done arguing and we are wasting time. Let's go." Lilith picked up the Vault Key and put an arm on Erick's shoulder before phasing to their destination.

They arrived on the elevated highway leading to the Info Stockade; the structure towered over the city of Fyrestone below which was now just a collection of ruined buildings, wrecked junk loaders, a pair of giant robot legs, and several scattered slag pools. The building itself was in excellent condition, however, and had two towers, now dormant, that used to beam information up to Hyperion satellites. Erick and Lilith landed next to a destroyed Badass Constructor which was about twenty feet away from Eve who was standing at the entrance to the building. She had her Bruiser guards on either side; one of them had a bandage on his arm where Erick stabbed him. Behind here were the three sirens each blindfolded and collared. They also each had a bandit thug with their rifles at the ready.

"Good, you made it." Eve said. "Did you bring my key?"

Erick took the key from Lilith and held it up for Eve. The sight of the drained key annoyed Eve but she allowed Maya and Montayva to walk free. Erick tossed the key to Eve as soon as the first two sirens got to him.

"Now let Ari go." Erick demanded.

"Why would I do that?" Eve asked. "It would be foolish to use myself to charge the key. If your beloved Ari is this valuable to you then you can trade for her."

Erick turned to Lilith and told her to get them all home as soon as Ari got to her.

"I'll see you soon." Erick said to try to make Lilith feel better. She knew he was lying but decided not to fight him. She decided just to tell him that they all loved him and would be waiting for his return.

Erick decided to stop stalling and met with Eve to surrender himself. A collar was quickly latched around his neck and Ari's blindfold was removed as she was being prepared for her release. Erick caught a quick look of his sister before she ran to Lilith and noticed a very prominent black eye. Erick waited for the girls to leave before asking who struck his sister.

"It was me," one of the bandits answered, "the little bitch was a little much to handle so I whopped 'er."

Erick turned to face the bandit.

"I recognize your voice." Erick said. "You're Benny?"

"Right you are."

"You know, it was one thing that you cut off my arm but you assaulted my little sister whom I adore and now I'm going to have to kill you."

"Even if you do kill me, you impotent little prick, the rest of my buddies will gut you like a fish."

"You're the only one I want, Ben, they won't attack me because I won't attack them."

"Are you willing to test that theory?"

"I'm dead anyway as soon as I charge the Vault Key, I don't care if they attack me or not."

Benny started to say something else but Erick quickly punched him in the throat, breaking his windpipe and causing him to painfully suffocate.

"Feel better now?" Eve asked.

"Not really." Erick answered, raising his hands in front of him so the remaining two bandits could cuff him.

"You're wrong by the way, you're not dead as soon as the key is charged, Richard still has a few things to tell you."

"Oh goodie."


End file.
